Lemurs And Life Lessons: Protecting What Matters Most

While this is a story about lemurs having an ecosystem that helps them to thrive, it's also a story about you and what you need to truly thrive. I'm going to share a number of keystone strategies you can start to use to enhance the ecosystem of your life.

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Thriving, Not Just Surviving

I did not expect to be so enamored by lemurs, but their curiosity, athleticism and playfulness got the best of me. Not to mention how dang cute they are! Unfortunately, they’re among the most endangered mammals in the world, and many scientists predict this incredible keystone species will be extinct within just a few decades.

While this is a story about lemurs having an ecosystem that helps them to thrive, it's also a story about you and what you need to truly thrive.

I'm going to share a number of keystone strategies you can start to use to enhance the ecosystem of your life.

We spent a little over 3 weeks in Madagascar, and it's so incredibly unique. It's home to baobab trees, sweeping dramatic landscapes, deep red earth and wildlife that's found nowhere else on the planet. And one of the most spectacular things (that you might already know) is that 108 species of lemur call this large island their home.

For 2 weeks of the trip, we volunteered our time assisting a research team doing all kinds of data collection around the keystone species of animals and plants in this region of southeast Madagascar. (Total nerds.)

Sadly the forests here are dwindling because of things like habitat destruction, forest fragmentation, hunting, and mining. What was once these vast hectares of littoral forest (a closed forest ecological community recognized by its close proximity to the ocean and much of the sky obscured by tree leaves and limbs) is now small, separate fragments.

Here the littoral forest is now only 5 really small plots of protected land that serve to safeguard all of the plants and animals that are so unique to this area. So it was critical to monitor the health of the forest to know what’s happening in real time, as well as over the course of time. And the best way to do this is to spend time in the environment observing, inspecting, and analyzing. You gotta go in there and get your hands – and feet – dirty. (And boy, did we!)

We went out on survey 3 times a day, walking through the forest for sometimes hours, morning, afternoon and night, rain or shine. We were looking for all kinds of things, but mainly lemurs: daytime lemurs, nighttime lemurs, tiny lemurs…lemurs of every size and color.

What they all have in common is their role as a keystone species. These animals literally hold this forest ecosystem together, mainly because of their poop. (Yep. We're back to poop. If you happen to have missed my previous volunteer adventure in Namibia that also centered around elephant poop, you can see that here.) Anyway, lemurs are important for eating and then dispersing seeds throughout the forest. Without them and their “crappy” planting there simply is no forest.

And of course, other species are also vital for a healthy forest, so we were also looking for frogs, chameleons, geckos, insects and various plants. Once we found a critter, we collected a specific set of data for each: the exact name, sex, age, GPS coordinates, how many others lived in a certain area, and how much light a host plant was receiving through the tree canopy.

At times (okay it felt like a lot of the time) this was painstakingly tedious as obstacles often got in the way, and it was sometimes frustrating. But it was all necessary to measure the vitality of the forest.

And here's one of the biggest things I learned that applies to us all:

You can have a forest and think that just because there are trees and plants in there, that it must be healthy. The reality is there has to be the right balance of species, both keystone and non, for future growth and sustainability.

A truly healthy forest is full of a variety of tree species, of various ages, small animals, big animals, insects, bugs, and various forms of sunlight and shade that ensure the health and life of the forest for the long term.

Sometimes the forest of your life grows less biodiverse over time, thanks to things like a mortgage, job responsibilities, growing and changing families, and the daily choices you make.

It's easy to assume that just because you have the main pieces of a successful life, that's all it takes to thrive. But just like a forest, it can be full of “trees” but having keystone species and the right balance of diverse forms of life are really the key.

With this in mind….

1. When was the last time that you surveyed the whole ecosystem of your life? (Looking at how you occupy your time or simply liking what you do every day.)

2. Do you have strong relationships and love in your life?

3. Are you effectively managing your economic life in alignment with your values and beliefs?

4. Do you have good health and enough energy to do the things you want to on a daily basis?

5. Do you feel connected to friends and the community that you live in?

Sadly, according to Gallup, while 66% of people are doing well in at least one of these areas, only 7% are thriving in all five of this ecosystem.

What are the keystone species in your life? What are the things that are necessary not just for your survival, but that create a fertile ecosystem where you feel nurtured, you're flourishing, and things are in balance?

• How is your health and energy?

• How is your sense of belonging?

• Do you feel loved, valued and cared for?

• What about the amount of laughter and lightness that you experience on a daily basis?

• How about feeling like the work that you do has deep meaning and purpose?

The protected forest fragments that we surveyed had healthier, much more robust ecosystems. Are you creating and protecting the right environment for the important things in your life to grow?

• What are your personal boundaries and what do you do to protect them?

• What are you currently prioritizing?

• Are they leading to a healthy, rewarding ecosystem?

• Who or what are you giving the majority of your time to each day?

• Your energy?

• Your money?

• What are you doing to create and protect more happiness?

• Are you clear on your values and make daily decisions aligned with them?

The lemurs of Madagascar depend on a delicate balance to survive, just as we do. But balance doesn't just happen: It's created, protected, and nurtured. The choices you make, just like the forest you live in, determine whether you merely survive or truly thrive.

Let's make sure you're protecting what matters most.