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P A G E 8
V O L . 3 , N O . 1
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4
Reforestation and Infrastructure Developments at
Antanetiambo Nature Reserve
as been a busy place over the past few months! A
large scale reforestation project is currently underway and several infrastructure projects
have recently been completed. A new well has
recently been completed which will provide a badly
needed reliable source of clean water. The new
toilet and shower will also be much appreciated by
researchers, tourists, Duke Engage students, and
reserve founder Desire Rabary's family alike. The
new kitchen or cooking house is a big improvement
from the leaky, tiny, and dilapidated structure where
meals used to be cooked, and will allow Madame
Valerie (Desire's wife) to cook for greater numbers
of people in a more sanitary environment.
Additionally, just this year more than 11,000
seedlings in twenty different (primarily native)
species have been grown in Antanetiambo's tree
nursery. These include endemic hardwoods such as
Ebony and Hintsia, fast-growing endemics such as
Albizia
sp.,
Cryptocarya
sp., and native bamboo. For the non-natives, super-fast growing
Acacia, fruit trees such as lychee, banana, and jackfruit are ready to be planted out. As
rainy season (January to April) has just arrived, we have started planting about 1000 trees
per week inside some of the newly purchased degraded parcels of Antanetiambo Nature
Reserve.
By Dr. Erik Patel
New well.
Photo by Lanto Andrianandrasana
New shower and toilet facilities.
Photos by Lanto Andrianandrasana