Madagascar: Travelling

“There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved”

– Charles Darwin

This post is the last of the Madagascar posts...for now! It focuses on the places which we traveled to after finishing our data collection in Ankarafa, the conservation efforts in place in these areas and the threats that they face. 

We left Ankarafa at the end of January 2012 and made our way back to Tana to organize export visas. These would take three weeks to process, and so during this time, we thought we would travel the island and see some of the wonderful things it has to offer. 

All of the places that we visited are national parks, except in the case of Anja, which is a community reserve. More information can be found about Madagascar National Parks at:

http://www.parcs-madagascar.com/madagascar-national-parks_en.php?Navigation=25

In between each visit we generally had to return to Tana (roughly just north-east of the centre of the island), as the main roads run outward from here.

RANOMAFANA

Ranomafana National Park was created in 1991, and at present, an average of 50 national and international researchers undertake research here every year. Ranomafana is composed of cloud forest, and the name literally translates as 'Hot Water', due to the presence of thermal springs.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to visit the park (myself and Jana were stuck in Tana mounting flora specimens - essentially sticking bits of leaves to card...), but Sam and Helen took the opportunity to travel there. Amongst other species of lemur they saw a pair of greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus), a species of lemur who can apparently consume high levels of cyanide (a fact unfortunately being investigated by the US military). 

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

They also encountered a fascinating visitor in their room...

...a comet moth, or Madagascan moon moth, whose long tail streamers draw attention away from themselves and help avoid predation by bats using ultrasound. 

ANDASIBE-MANTADIA

Before the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park was created in 1989, the area was known as the Special Reserve of Analamazoatra. It had already gained this status due to the presence of the Indri (Indri indri). 

ENDANGERED

These creatures are best known for their whale-like song, which can be heard echoing around the forests at dawn. The national park houses 13 lemur species other than the Indri, such as the diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema)...

ENDANGERED

…and a number of mouse and sportive lemurs, as well as numerous amphibian and reptile species, such as this male (left) and female (right) Parson's chameleon (Calumma parsonii)...

...and two fish species currently listed as threatened on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of  Nature) red list. The National Park’s ability to accommodate these animals helps to ensure their on- going survival. Around 50% of the park’s entry fees contribute to the projects of local village development committees, for example, the creation of a primary school at Fanovana, with two class rooms, accommodating 192 pupils. 

ANKARANA

The Ankarana National Park is best known for the vast Tsingy that covers it. Tsingy refers to rock formations, formed by the erosive effect of acid rain on soft rock, resulting in miles and miles of sometimes metre high rock spikes – a particularly interesting eco-tourism attraction. In Ankarana, we were lucky enough to be able to walk across the Tsingy, with the help of suspension bridges, and here we encountered crowned lemurs, Sandford's lemurs, and a number of other incredible animals.

The flora (trees and plants) of Ankarana is also pretty spectacular, such as baobabs (left) and euphorbias… 

… which tend to be well adapted to long periods of drought, resulting in some pretty peculiar shapes. We were also lucky enough to be shown into a large bat cave - mainly due to Sam's persuasive nature, and here we found a number of species of bat, including Rosette's bats and Madagascan fruit bats...

...as well as some other incredible - if slightly terrifying - creatures.

Unfortunately, the Ankarana National Park, although protected, continues to be exploited due to the presence of sapphires and the consequent mining, as well as the illegal felling of tropical hardwood for export.  Other factors such as sapling destruction by free-ranging zebu (the Malagasy cow) and hunting, also continue to threaten the inhabitants of the park.

ANKARAFANTSIKA

Ankarafantsika (created in 2002) is a haven for wild birds, and this is the main attraction for eco-tourists. Whilst staying in this national park we encountered a number of these birds such as… 

Glossy Ibis

Cattle Egret

Purple Heron

As well as Nile crocodiles…

…and Coqueral's sifakas (Propithecus coquereli) which came skipping across the lawn while we ate breakfast and proceeded to settle on the trees next to the dining terrace. 

ENDANGERED

There is also a breeding centre for two threatened tortoise species in this national park; the flat-tailed toroise (Pyxis panicauda) and the very rare ploughshare tortoise (Geochelone yniphora), as well as the only Malagasy endemic turtle, the Rere (Erymnochelys madagascariensis).

ANJA

Anja is located south of Tana, and holds the most northern population of ring tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) - the most northern, and I think probably the most habituated!

NEAR THREATENED

Anja Reserve is the most visited community managed forest and ecotourist site in Madagascar. In Anja, members of the local community have been chosen to independently manage natural resources. The Anja Miray Association also contributes to local development through community projects such as construction and maintenance of a primary school, large scale fish farming, environmental restoration with tree nurseries, malaria education, and contribution of funds to enable local people to obtain mosquito nets. All residents of Anja are eligible for membership in the association. As Anja is not a national park, it does not appear on the Madagascar National Parks website, however, it does have it's own website:

http://anjacommunityreserve.netai.net/

Although it is wonderful to be able to access the national parks, and good to hear about successful conservation and local sustainable community projects, there has also been a lot of controversy over the legitimacy of some of the parks. Wide scale corruption and political unrest has resulted in the unfortunate labeling of some of Madagascar’s national parks as ‘paper parks’. In other words, on paper, they are protected areas; however, in practice there is not the man power or resources supplied to realistically be able to protect these areas.

In these cases, something more needs to be done, and in some ways, it is my opinion that the corruption that occurs so often in developing countries, is fed by the corporations and companies of the ‘developed’ world, who feel they can benefit from it. It is, therefore, at least partly our responsibility to help get rid of corruption in these areas, by promoting and supporting the sustainable alternatives, and by publicly condemning the companies and corporations who are responsible.

Ellie x