The first stop was to do work in Madagascar with an organization called Azafady. This beautiful and mysterious island is full of endemic plants and animals that have always fascinated me (as well as countless others). Unfortunately this amazing place is being devastated by human activity. From slash and burn farming to a planned mine by Rio Tinto, the flora and fauna is suffering immensely. Up to 90% of the original forests have been cleared and reduced to mere fragments.
With Azafady in the small coastal village of St. Luce volunteers and locals researched how this human activity is impacting local species. Brown Lemurs, Geckos, Pandanus trees, frogs, and various other organisms were studied.Along with this research we taught the importance of the environment to local children in what we called Club Atsataki. For may of these children this was their only formal education. It was an enlightening and humbling experience.
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