Teaching and Learning in the SAVA
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DUKE CONNECTIONS
While studying abroad in South Africa during the fall 2014 semester,
fellow Duke student Audra Bass and I listened to a guest lecturer speak
passionately about the biodiversity of Madagascar - we listened when he
urged us to see it for ourselves. We excitedly contacted Charlie Welch and
Dr. Erik Patel, knowing that a Duke Engage Independent Project with SAVA
Conservation was our best option for immersing ourselves in one of the
world’s most remote biodiversity hotspots. As an Evolutionary
Anthropology major with a background in environmental education,
Madagascar has always been on my radar – it’s a prime example of the
disconcerting clash between rapid human development and primate
conservation. I was especially interested in how community-based
conservation projects were contributing to both the improvement of
human livelihoods and the protection of Madagascar’s wildlife. SAVA Conservation really was a perfect partner for
me, especially because they were looking for more environmental education support for the summer of 2015. Audra
and I learned that our job would be to develop better written materials to facilitate the learning process for students
visiting the Antanetiambo Nature Reserve or Marojejy National Park.
Matsobe was our home for eight weeks as we contributed to SAVA Conservation’s work in the community. I
arrived about two weeks earlier than Audra and quickly acclimated to the simplicities of rural life. I tagged along with
Jackson and Rabary for those first couple weeks, which allowed me to
learn more about the community and to get a feel for their role with
SAVA Conservation. I got to spend several days in Antanetiambo Nature
Reserve observing the bamboo lemurs, and accompanied a couple of
school groups on visits in the reserve. One of my favorite memories
comes from assisting in the annual fish harvest – we harvested a couple
thousand fish by hand, and my first catch earned me quite a few cheers
from the locals! Once Audra finally arrived, we set to work writing
informational fact-sheets about various topics like Antanetiambo,
lemur conservation, and sub-fossil lemurs. These sheets will later be
translated to Malagasy and used to supplement school visits. We also
arranged student visits to the reserve and hosted screenings of a BBC
nature documentary about Madagascar. The documentary screenings
were an especially huge hit, with dozens of people cramming into the
library or leaning in through the windows to see the film. We learned that the interest in environmental education is
there; it’s just a matter of providing the means to that education.
Aside from our actual work, Audra and I had the pleasure of fully immersing ourselves in the Malagasy experience.
As much as I tried to cram French, I left the country knowing more Malagasy than I ever expected. We attended a
wedding and had the taxi-brousse (bush taxi) experience. We learned about the crucial role of agriculture in
Malagasy life, and even tried our hand at harvesting coffee and planting beans. We saw the beautiful silky sifaka, and
even summited Marojejy; a stale loaf of bread has never tasted so good as from the top of that mountain. We both
finally were able to spot chameleons, though we’ll never be as good as Rabary, Jackson, or even our host mom
Valerie. Overall, I saw firsthand what I’d been learning in the classroom: conservation is complex, and requires the
community to see it as investing in the future. By the end of the summer, we may not have left a lasting impression
on Madagascar, but I know Madagascar left a lasting impression on me.
Veloma
for now, but hopefully there’s
another
salama
in my future!
Audra with students preparing to show the BBC
Madagascar nature film.
by Allison Rogers
Allison and young student planting a tree at
Antanetiambo Reserve.
