An introduction to the project

We are an Independent student led expedition traveling to a new research area of rainforest in Eastern Madagascar.

Our team, along with local scientists and conservationists from Madagascar, will be conducting the first ever biodiversity surveys in the area, and begin conservation efforts to protect the forest.

In collaboration with local effort we aim to raise awareness for conserving Iaroka forest to preserve its many endemic species and the ecosystem services it provides to the local communities.

Iaroka lies in the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor which houses some of the largest areas of remaining rainforest in Madagascar. If compromised this could interrupt the continuity of vital ecosystems and the survival of the varied species of flora and fauna.

Our biodiversity surveys will provide important groundwork for further detailed studies to conserve iconic species many of which are only found in the wild in Madagascar. This includes the many species of lemurs and Madagascar’s top predator, the Fossa.

With tourism growth in Madagascar now rapidly increasing and local forests being overexploited to support livelihoods, this project provides a unique opportunity to discuss with nearby local hamlets ways in which ecotourism at a smaller scale could benefit them.

This provides an alternative to activities such as slash and burn agriculture which eventually, will destroy the forest.

As an independent group working with local collaborators from DBCAM (Development and biodiversity conservation action for Madagascar) and the university of Antananarivo we hope to take the first steps towards promoting their local area to appreciate the importance of its conservation and promote sustainable tourism.

The project will run for 6 Weeks from mid-august to the end of September 2019. Our team compromises of 8 members with mixed backgrounds of bioscience and photography from the University of Exeter and Falmouth University.

Together we aim to combine our scientific and media backgrounds to better understand how we should conserve important ecological areas such as Iaroka and promote this using impactful visual media.

So far we have been fortunate enough to receive funding from the royal geographic society and have raised money through many other fundraising activities. However the more money we can raise the more kit we can get for better and more reliable sampling techniques which will be the underlying foundations for more scientific and conservation work in the area to come.

Currently we are looking for any funding we can get or sponsorships that can help us with funds, every donation no matter how small will make a big difference!

If interested please contact us or donate via our donation page:

https://exeter.hubbub.net/p/Project-Madagascar-2019/pitch/