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DukeEngage ’14 in the SAVA
P A G E 1 4
V O L . 3 , N O . 2
J U L Y 2 0 1 4
DUKE CONNECTIONS
I have wanted to study primates for
almost as long as I can remember. When I
was in elementary school, I read about
Jane Goodall’s research on chimpanzees
and decided that I wanted to do
something similar. It was my passion for
primates that led me to Duke University,
which I applied to mainly because of the
unique opportunity to study lemurs at the
Duke Lemur Center (DLC). In my first two
years at the DLC, I have worked as a tour
guide, taken a primate field biology class,
and even helped conduct research.
Needless to say, I was thrilled when the
DukeEngage program granted me funding
to go to Madagascar and volunteer with
the Duke Lemur Center SAVA
Conservation Initiative.
Dr. Erik Patel (Director of SAVA Conservation) and Lanto Andrianandrasana (Project Manager of SAVA Conservation)
were both very welcoming from the moment my plane landed. With their help and support, my friend Faye and I were
able to get settled and learn more about the various conservation projects performed by SAVA Conservation. The main
focus of our work is Antanetiambo Nature Reserve, which is not far from the town of Andapa in northeastern
Madagascar. Unlike most nature reserves in Madagascar, Antanetiambo was created primarily through the efforts of a
local man: Desiré Rabary. The reserve is a green hill that rises like an island out of a sea of golden rice fields, but it was
not always that way. The land has been cleared for agriculture in the past; now it is primarily covered in rejuvenating
secondary forest with patches of primary forest. With the returning forest, various native animals have returned as
well: birds, chameleons, snakes, insects, and my personal favorites, mouse lemurs (
Microcebus
sp.) and northern
bamboo lemurs (
Hapalemur occidentalis
).
Our first project was to develop a marked trail system, which will facilitate ecotourism as well as monitoring by the
By Kyle Smith
We are pleased to continue our collaboration with the DukeEngage program, for the second consecutive year, by
having two students working with SAVA Conservation. Duke undergrads Kyle Smith and Faye Goodwin have already
started their 8-week service project period, which will run to the end of July. Both Kyle and Faye are quite familiar
with our Madagascar conservation work, as during the academic year they work as DLC tour guides through Duke
work/study. Continue reading to learn about their Madagascar and SAVA experiences to date.
An Aspiring Primatologist’s Conservation Work in Madagascar
Kyle and Faye flagging and mapping trails at Antanetiambo Reserve.