Scientists have revealed lemurs are on the verge of extinction as impoverished local people are hunting them, and also because their habitat is being destroyed.
Researchers have said that a five-year political crisis in the Indian Ocean island Madagascar and a subsequent breakdown of environmental law enforcement have worsened the situation for the 100 species of lemurs living there, the Independent reported.
Christoph Schwitzer, lead researcher at the Bristol Zoological Society in Britain, said that extinctions could begin very soon if nothing is done and one cyclone or other natural event could wipe out the entire population.
Schwitzer and his team, who came up with the emergency lemur preservation plan, have identified 30 priority sites for lemur conservation, which will be managed at a local level.
The team also plans to do a long-term research, which will also be put in place in key areas and an expansion of ecotourism will help fund the projects.
Experts have decided to ask the world leaders for 7.6 million dollars international aid, which would help in preserving a significant portion of the lemurs' habitat.
The study was published in the journal Science.