Madagascar: Forest Ecology and Conservation

Summer 2010: May 17 to June 15

Program Location

Madagascar, located off the east coast of South Africa, is the world’s 4th largest island with a diverse, unique flora and fauna with a high degree of endemism; 80% of its flora of 12,000 species does not exist anywhere else in the world, as do a large number of its animal species. New species of plants and animals are still be found and identified, especially in the humid tropical forests on the east side of the island which remain largely unexplored. Population growth and its resulting demand for construction timber and fuel wood as well as increasing demand for agricultural land (the main occupation for the majority of Malagasy) are severely threatening the 15% of the remaining original rain forest cover of the country. Slash and burn (tavy) agriculture and increasingly shorter fallow cycles due to population growth, combined with the high rainfall (3,500mm per year), have let to high rates of erosion and soil degradation. A number of protected forests, nature reserves and parks are now but islands in a sea of degraded farmland.

Academic Program

The proposed program is being held in concert with Appalachian State University.  There are two parts to the program.  In the first part we will explore the tremendous biodiversity and recent extinctions in Madagascar.  We will tour and study animals and plants in the rainforests, deciduous forests, and spiny desert forests of Madagascar.  In the second part of the course students will learn about forest management and agroforestry as a sustainable alternative to slash and burn agriculture.  Through these courses students will learn about the unique flora and fauna of Madagascar, investigate the diverse traditions and socioeconomic issues of the people of Madagascar, and gain an understanding of the issues and challenges involved in balancing the management of Madagascar’s natural resources and biodiversity with the socioeconomic development needs of its people.  We will be staying in a variety of national parks and rural villages.  This will involve some hotel and dormitory stay and some tent camping.  Learning will take the form of touring forests and villages in various parts of Madagascar, lecture and field experiential learning, and some community service in the villages and forests in which we are staying.

Instructional methods include lectures, guided tours, field work, journal assignments and/or papers.

Tentative course offerings:
BIO 497: Biodiversity and natural resource management in Madagascar, 6 credits

Accommodations

Students will reside in hotels with some portion of the program tent camping. Some group meals will be provided.

Program Costs

For the current projected costs for this program, please click on the following link to the Fees for JMU Study Abroad Programs page.

Application

For more detailed instructions and to download the application, please click on the following link to the Applications and Forms section for JMU Short-Term Programs.

For More Information

For additional information about the program, please contact the program director:

Dr. Roshna Wunderlich
Associate Professor
Department of Biology
Tel: 540-568-6930
E-mail: wunderre@jmu.edu