Research in Madagascar
Donation protected
It has always been a dream of mine to go to Madagascar. When I was little we had a documentary of Madagascar on an old cassette tape that I would watch repeatedly. I always dreamed of visiting the "Enchanted Island". Years later, I now have the opportunity to spend a semester working on a research project in Madagascar!
This fall I will be working with a researcher from Virginia Tech: Brandon Semel (http://brandonsemel.weebly.com/). He is studying the current and long-term impacts of deforestation, forest fragmentation, and the effects of a changing climate on the wildlife of Madagascar, particularly a species of endangered lemurs called sifaka that are only found on this island. While I am there I will be working as a volunteer technician helping to estimate lemur abundance in different forest fragments as well as collecting samples for dietary and genetic anaylsis. This will require me to do a lot of hiking through the forest. I will be living in a tent in remote forest areas and eating lots of rice and beans!
While we are there we will hire local Malagasy people as guides as well as cooks/camp managers, thus providing conservation-related jobs to people of the community. I am currently making a field guide of the birds of Madagascar that Brandon will print and bind to give to those we are working with who cannot afford to buy a field guide.
I am extremely excited and feel very blessed to have the opportunity to continue my education and learning experience in Madagascar and contribute to such an awesome, long-term project!
I am raising money to help pay for my plane ticket, food, water, and travel while I am there; gear and equipment I will need, as well as the salaries of some of the Malagasy people who will be working with us. Please consider donating if you are able. This will be a trip of a lifeime for me.
I would love to talk more about my semester in Madagascar if anyone would like to know more! Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. I can't wait for the adventure to begin!
This fall I will be working with a researcher from Virginia Tech: Brandon Semel (http://brandonsemel.weebly.com/). He is studying the current and long-term impacts of deforestation, forest fragmentation, and the effects of a changing climate on the wildlife of Madagascar, particularly a species of endangered lemurs called sifaka that are only found on this island. While I am there I will be working as a volunteer technician helping to estimate lemur abundance in different forest fragments as well as collecting samples for dietary and genetic anaylsis. This will require me to do a lot of hiking through the forest. I will be living in a tent in remote forest areas and eating lots of rice and beans!
While we are there we will hire local Malagasy people as guides as well as cooks/camp managers, thus providing conservation-related jobs to people of the community. I am currently making a field guide of the birds of Madagascar that Brandon will print and bind to give to those we are working with who cannot afford to buy a field guide.
I am extremely excited and feel very blessed to have the opportunity to continue my education and learning experience in Madagascar and contribute to such an awesome, long-term project!
I am raising money to help pay for my plane ticket, food, water, and travel while I am there; gear and equipment I will need, as well as the salaries of some of the Malagasy people who will be working with us. Please consider donating if you are able. This will be a trip of a lifeime for me.
I would love to talk more about my semester in Madagascar if anyone would like to know more! Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. I can't wait for the adventure to begin!
Organizer
Aylett Lipford
Organizer
Tuckahoe, VA
