Grantee Spotlight: Groupe d’étude et de recherche sur les primates de Madagascar (GERP)
On the Edge Fund, Conservation grantee spotlight
05/05/2025
The legend of the lemur must be protected at all costs – especially on GERP’s watch.
GERP is a leading Malagasy non-governmental organisation (NGO) focused on saving Madagascar’s iconic lemurs. Founded in the 1990s, GERP blends cutting-edge scientific research with on-the-ground conservation actions. They've discovered new lemur species, studied their habits, and used that knowledge to protect them in the wild.
But GERP doesn’t stop at science – they work closely with local communities, run education programmes, train young Malagasy conservationists, and lead reforestation efforts to restore critical habitats. In short, GERP is at the forefront of lemur conservation, combining research, action, and local empowerment to protect one of the world’s most unique biodiversity hotspots.
GERP’s work
The focus is on protecting the Aye-Aye, a quirky-looking primate, and the Coquerel's Sifaka. These animals are essential to the health of Madagascar's ecosystem, helping to control pests and dispersing seeds through the food they eat. But both are endangered because of continued deforestation and human activity.
Over the years, we’ve worked with GERP to increase forest patrols to monitor species populations, support reforestation activities such as building forest corridors to connect patches of forest, which protects the animals moving between them, and support alternative livelihood and education programmes. This includes rice farming, beekeeping, handicraft and ranger training. To influence behaviour change, locally, awareness raising campaigns using TV, radio and comic books have been developed and run across multiple communities.
On the Edge continues to support GERP to provide sustainable solutions that empower the local community to protect forests for themselves as well as the animals that call them home.
Name:
GERP
Country of origin:
Madagascar
Species of choice:
Aye-Aye (EN)
Coquerel’s Sifaka (EN)
Southern ruffed lemur (CR)
Where to from here?
Catch our Animal Sensemaker episode featuring Stingless bees
In the Amazon and tropical places around the world, armies of stingless bees spend their days collecting nectar from plants and flowers across the forest. Listen here.
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Discover more about how you can get involved with protecting nature’s underdogs, here.
