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others. High-resolution imagery of the area is also available, so I will also classify the imagery in terms of land cover
and land use to look for further areas of disturbance within these two regions.
Adjusting to life in Madagascar, and especially the rainforest, takes quite a bit of getting used to. To begin with,
there are few drivable roads, so on my first day I was dropped off in the village of Mandena with all my equipment,
and the entrance to the park was still about 2 km. away. Before I could venture to the first survey site, I had to hire 65
porters as well as find my survey team, including guides and cooks!
About 8 km. or so later, I reached my campsite, and we settled in for our first five-week survey period. The first
week I spent in Marojejy the rain never stopped, and I learned quickly what a leech was. I also learned why all of the
locals called my campsite Camp Majavonjavona (meaning “very foggy place”). However, I also saw my first lemurs:
white-fronted brown lemurs, red-bellied
lemurs, northern bamboo lemurs,
greater dwarf lemurs and gray mouse
lemurs. In addition, I saw ring-tailed
mongooses
and
many
dwarf
chameleons! After five weeks at this
site, I thought I had seen it all, but then I
ventured to my second site. I knew this
site was more remote, but little did I
know that more remote meant about 20
km. from the nearest road. To reach this
site, I traveled through three villages
(the children of these villages had never
seen a foreigner before!) before
reaching the edge of the park. This area
of the park was much steeper than the
first region and much more open in
terms of forest cover. And, thankfully, it
was not quite as wet! (Oh, don’t worry.
It rained plenty — just not every day like
at the last site.)However, this site was
also my first glimpse at the destruction
present within a protected area. I found temporary shelters, lemur and carnivore traps, cut trees including rosewood
stumps, and logs left behind. Lemur encounters were fewer in number, but I did get a glimpse at the eastern woolly
lemur, a new favorite of mine! In total, we found five new groups of silky sifakas as well, which are one of the rarest
lemurs in Madagascar.
My time in Madagascar was definitely an adventure. It was extremely difficult at times, but I enjoyed (almost)
every second of it! If you have the time and resources, the SAVA region of Madagascar (including Marojejy National
Park) is a definite place to visit. It is a little further off the beaten path, but definitely worth the time and effort to
make it up the mountain into the park. And if you go, make sure you say hello to the friends I made over the summer.
My guides: Gerlain, Dez and Eduoard; my cook: Primo; the park agents: Augustin and Gil; and my drivers: Dylan and
Syed!
P A G E 1 3
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2
Into the Wild!
Continued
S A V A C O N S E R V A T I O N
Jennifer and her team including guides, cook and Malagasy master’s student
Manitra (in Texas T-shirt).