Former teaching volunteer, Hannah Bonecutter, made the most of her short stay with us.  We love knowing that while we’re making a difference to the community here, we’re also helping to create wonderful memories to last a lifetime!

“My visit in Madagascar was absolutely phenomenal!  I started out doing the Forest Conservation Program , but then switched to the Teaching Program because I felt I would serve the community best in this capacity for my relatively short 2 week stay on the island.  Further, I am a licensed teacher back in America and indeed felt the teaching spirit calling to me much more than the forest conservation one there in Madagascar.  Hence, I switched and it was the best decision I made there.  The local staff were completely understanding and helpful in this, and needless to say I absolutely loved it!  I taught English to all ranges of students from kindergartners in Ampangorina village on Nosy Komba, to older adult students in Hellville city on Nosy Be.  I grew quite close to  several of my students in Nosy Komba and even had them write me goodbye notes in a book I made before I left.

The accommodations on camp were quite nice considering the fact that we were in the middle of serious forest and wildlife in Madagascar.  I enjoyed sleeping in my Treehouse hut with my fellow hut mates and honestly made good friends on this trip from our volunteer bunch.  I enjoyed getting to know people from other parts of the world and learn about their languages and culture

I truly enjoyed every part of this trip so it is hard to choose favorite moments, but here are some.   One of them was definitely my weekend trip to the gorgeous island of Nosy Iranja.  Simply viewing the sunset on that beach there was breathtaking.  Walking across the sand bar that connects the 2 land masses of Nosy Iranja was awesome!  Another one of my favorite moments was teaching my students each day.  I loved singing songs in Malagasy with my younger students at the church school in Ampangorina.  A spectacular moment of my trip was visiting Lemur Park and having the Lemurs hop on my back while I fed them bananas!  I also got to hold a Boa Constrictor snake, which was nothing short of amazing.  One last favorite moment was eating at a local highly-rated restaurant called Christian’s, where Chef Christian made the most delicious meal for a group of us.  The food was fantastic!

Luckily, I did not get seriously injured or sick on this trip (as some do because you do a lot of walking over large rocks, climbing, and digestions of potentially uncommon foods and drinks no matter what program you are in), as some volunteers do.  I also was very cautious and any cut or bruise I got I treated immediately and effectively.  If you do this, and follow safety procedures, you really have practically nothing to worry about.

Overall, this trip was extremely memorable and life-changing.  I am so grateful that I was able to do this and I truly feel that I made a positive impact in the communities where I taught in Madagascar.  I definitely plan to return to Madagascar in my lifetime and hopefully visit my students again!

Remember:  The memories that you make in Madagascar will last you a lifetime, and more”.

If you would like to find out how you can join our Teaching Program, contact us today.

One of our previous forest conservation volunteers conducted some research on the impact the Madagascar Research and Conservation Institute (MRCI) has on social behaviour towards conservation for her university degree.  She asked all volunteers to complete a questionnaire when starting and ending their program.  The questions focused on commitment to the environment and respect for nature.  Overall, she found that volunteers showed more commitment to the environment in terms of water conservation, littering and respect on leaving after their volunteer stay, when compared to arriving.

This shows the impact that organisations such as MRCI have on volunteers, allowing them to experience living a more simple life first hand and seeing the impact of littering and degradation on the environment.  This change of attitude and behaviour towards the environment can have a lasting impact on volunteers and hopefully result in positive, sustainable change in their lives back home.

Along with the conservation work we do on the ground in Madagascar, we aim to promote positive behaviour changes that reach around the world and contribute to a more sustainable future.

We are very grateful to Sandra Ellerkamp for completing this research and allowing us to share a summary, see below:

Impact of MRCI on commitment to the environment

If you would like to find out how you can join one of our conservation programs, contact us or sign up today!

Madagascar Research and Conservation Institute’s (MRCI) former forest conservation staff turned their time on Nosy Komba, Madagascar, into a published research article depicting the herpetological diversity across the island, and how abundance is affected by different habitat types and therefore the conservation value of those areas.  The following is a brief summary of its contents:

Across Madagascar, the majority of herpetofauna species are endemic, with many in decline.  39% of reptile species (Jenkins et al., 2014) and 25% of frog species (Andreone et al., 2005) are “threatened with extinction” on the IUCN Red List.  Human populations on Madagascar are expanding, and with them so is the use of agriculture, making human-modified habitats a more prominent feature across the landscape (Harper et al., 2007).  The aim of MRCI’s former staff members (Blumgart et al., 2017) in this paper was to establish the extent to which endemic species on Nosy Komba are reliant on primary vegetation, compared to those that can be sustained in human-modified environments (Irwin et al., 2010).  This aim is to then allow for the prioritisation of conservation objectives on the island.

Blumgart et al., 2017, conducted 237 sampling trials, 205 during the day (between 08:00 and 16:00) and 32 at night (between 19:30 and 22:50), from March 16th until September 9th 2015.  Each survey was conducted at pre-chosen sites within 20m x 20m quadrats.  These were across four different habitat types; closed canopy forest, disturbed canopy forest, shade-grown coffee plantation and mixed open plantation.  These four habitats all had quadrat sites located at a low (0-150m), medium (150-350m), and high (350-505m) elevation level.

Each survey consisted of searching all micro-habitats; leaf litter, crevices in bark and rocks, understory, and observable parts of the canopy.  Between four and six observers were involved with each survey and for each individual observed, the vertical height of the animal was recorded.  Specimens unidentifiable in the field were photographed for identification at a later stage.  For each survey, certain variables were measured and recorded; temperature, humidity, cloud cover, and rain during the previous night/day.

During the course of their study, they encountered 14 species previously unrecorded on Nosy Komba; 2 frogs and 12 reptiles; 4 of which are listed as “threatened” on the IUCN Red List.  The results of their 6 month study showed that both reptile and frog abundance differed significantly across habitat types during the day, whilst having no significant difference at night.

The only species found on Nosy Komba during this study that has not been found on Nosy Be was Amphiglossus mandokava.  This species is associated with undisturbed humid forest (Raxworthy, 2011).  It was found only once in a highly modified habitat with sparse tree cover, after heavy rainfall.  This suggests it may have been washed down from intact forest higher up the island.  It’s presence on Nosy Komba means it is possible it may yet be undiscovered in Lokobe National Park; a neighbouring island which theoretically used to be connected to Nosy Be, Nosy Komba and mainland Madagascar many years ago.

Overall Blumgart et al., 2017, concluded that some man-made environments, such as the low-intensity coffee plantations, supported a “high abundance and diversity of herpetofauna and are utilised to varying extents by six threatened species”.  They did, however, note that some species appear “unlikely to persist in large coffee plantations without interspersed areas of forest”.  Therefore, the species found in the plantations are partially dependent on spill-over from adjacent forest habitats (Lucey and Hill, 2012). The authors suggest that to assess the true conservation value of man-made habitats a long term study should be undertaken. Especially as they found it was the generalist species utilising these areas, and in fact only a few of the threatened species were found in them; all present at lower densities.”

You can view the entire published paper on the herpetological survey of Nosy Komba, Madagascar here:

Blumgart et al 2017- Herpetological survey Nosy Komba

Bibliography

1. Blumgart, D., Dolhem, J. and Raxworthy CJ. (2017) Herpetological diversity across intact and modified habitats of Nosy Komba Island, Madagascar. Journal of Natural History DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2017.1287312
2. Harper, GJ., Steininger MK., Tucker, CJ., Juhn, D. & Hawkins, F. (2007) Fifty years of deforestation and forest fragmentation in Madagascar. Environmental Conservation 34: 325-333
3. Irwin, MT., Wright, PC., Birkinshaw, C., Fisher, BL., Gardner, CJ., Glos, J., Goodman SM., Loiselle, P., Rabeson, P., Raharison, JL. & Raherilalao, MJ. (2010) Patterns of species change in anthropogenically disturbed forests of Madagascar. Biological Conservation 143: 2351-2362
4. Jenkins, RKB., Tognelli, MG., Bowles, P., Cox, N., Brown, JL., Chan, L., Andreone F., Andriamazava, A., Andriantsimanarilafy, RR., Anjeriniaina, M., Bora, P., Brady, LD., Hantalalaina, EF., Glaw, F., Griffiths, RA., Hilton-Taylor, C., Hoffmann, M., Katariya, V., Rabibisoa, NH., Rafanomezantsoa, J., Rakotomalala, D., Rakotondravony, H., Rakotondrazafy, NA., Ralambonirainy, J., Ramanamanjato, JB., Randriamahazo, JE., Randrianizahana, H., Raselimanana, AP., Rasolohery, A., Ratsoavina, FM., Raxworthy, CJ., Robsomanitrandrasana, E., Rollande, F., van Dijk, PP., Yoder, AD. & Vences, M. (2014) Extinction risks and the conservation of Madagascar”s reptiles. PLoS ONE 9:e100173
5. Lucey, JM. and Hill, JK. (2012) Spillover of insects from rain forest into adjacent oil palm plantations. Biotropica 44: 368-377
6. Raxworthy, CJ. (2011) Amphiglossus mandokava. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e. T172859A6930994. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.
7. T172859A6930994.en. cited 26 December 2016.

Construction of another artificial reef started a couple of weeks ago with the purchase of cement and donation of porous rocks. These would make up the base structures to which we would attach coral polyps, ready to grow into a self-sustaining reef

Over the course of the week our marine team, led by Roshan, Emma, Antonia and Alex, have worked hard to build over 20 dome structures. In order to do this, they first had to dig a hole in the sand, high up the beach so that only very high tides would potentially fill them in. Each hole was shaped and patted down to create a smooth surface before it could be filled with our cement mixture. This was then patted into the holes to create slightly varied styles of domes. Each dome had to have some arches to allow both water current and sea life to enter and flow through them. Small holes were added throughout the drying domes as another way of allowing some current flow, and also as a necessary part of the structure that would allow us to attach the Polyps.

After allowing the mixture to set overnight, the marine team returned to dig up each dome and move them to a dry zone. Here they were rinsed repeatedly with fresh water. This process helps to ensure the mixture continues to harden without causing any cracks. Seven or eight structures were built each day until the required materials were used up.

On Saturday, 18th March, Francois Gilbert, the General Director of Madagascar’s Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, joined us here on Nosy Komba, along with over 100 other government officials and guests to participate in attaching the polyps to our concrete domes. Just under 100 polyps, plus an adhesive were provided by Markus (the owner of Marine Aquaculture Nosy Be) to use for this process.

The polyps were already attached to mini concrete circles so the glue was applied to this before being placed on the dome. The coral polyps were spaced approximately 20cm away from each other. Since there were a mixture of hard and soft corals, these needed to be grouped together separately to maximise their growth.

As wells as MRCI staff, volunteers, and guests, a media crew was also on site filming the event and doing interviews. This means that the conservation work and the importance of the MPA and the coral reef for boosting biodiversity and fishing opportunities, will hopefully reach the wider local community. This will help them understand and perhaps aid our work in the future.

Since the event, the marine team has continued to work hard every day, attaching many more polyps to more of the dome structures and transporting them out into deep waters. There are currently 12 completed domes in the deep water, with more being added this week.

The marine staff and volunteers at MRCI will be closely monitoring the artificial reefs over the next few weeks in the hope that they will develop into a fully self-sustaining organism. During this trial period, the marine team will be monitoring indicators of stress, damage and the physical conditions. This is to allow the planting methodology to be adapted and improved, if necessary, to increase the survivability of any subsequent structures that are built and added to the reef system.

A huge thank you to our partners in this project, Marine Aquaculture Nosy Be and CNRO, for involving MRCI and aiding us throughout the building of the artificial reef.

If you would like to find out how you can join our marine conservation program, contact us today!