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P A G E 9
V O L . 3 , N O . 2
J U L Y 2 0 1 4
Antanetiambo Nature Reserve Expands and New
Native Bamboo Nursery Installed
SAVA Conservation collaborator and renowned
Marojejy Guide Desiré Rabary has added yet an-
other parcel of land to his nature reserve Anta-
netiambo
Antanetiambo is 6km from An-
dapa, in the SAVA region, and is a glowing exam-
ple of forest protection on private land by a Mala-
gasy national. As the opportunities arise to pur-
chase adjoining land, Desiré has been adding to
his 15.5 hectare (38 acre) reserve, piece by piece.
The most recent addition is a .4 hectare piece,
and will help to fill a gap that presently exists in
the northern part of the reserve (see photo).
Antanetiambo has two species of lemurs that
inhabit the secondary forests of the reserve, the
northern bamboo lemur (
Hapalemur occidentalis
)
and mouse lemurs (
Microcebus
sp.) Both last year
and at present, Duke Engage volunteers have fo-
cused their work on the bamboo lemurs that live
there, and on various other aspects of the re-
serve. For example, this year a new flagged trail
system was developed which will help with forest monitoring, research, and tourism. Cur-
rently Duke students are assisting a professional botanist from Missouri Botanical Garden
(MBG) who is working with us to conduct the first dietary study of this species. 44 different
plant foods have already been identified including several plants also enjoyed by local peo-
ple such rice (leaves/seeds), coffee (fruit), banana (fruit), lychee (fruit), mango (fruit), and
jackfruit (leaves). Indeed bamboo lemurs have been labeled as one of the few “crop-
raiding” lemurs.
In order to reduce their dependence on domestic cash crops which are not part of their
natural diet in primary forests like Marojejy National Park (camp 1), a new bamboo nursery
has successfully set up. The species being cultivated is
Valiha diffusa
, a bamboo species
endemic to Madagascar and presumed to be the primary diet of northern bamboo lemurs
in Marojejy. Roots of 70 young
Valiha diffusa
have already been transplanted in Anta-
netiambo and dozens of seedlings have been grown from seed. Efforts are underway to
obtain more seeds, to expand the newly built tree nursery.
Antanetiambo Reserve, within the red border, surrounded by rice fields of
the Andapa basin. New parcel is in white.
by Dr. Erik Patel