Overview
Why study biodiversity in Madagascar?
A biodiverse island evolving from a set of unique environmental circumstances, Madagascar is one of the world’s globally recognized “megadiverse” countries, with flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth. Explore environmental challenges, conservation, and development across an array of ecosystems including tropical rainforests, mangroves, and dry deciduous forests in multiple economic and cultural contexts. Discover a world apart, where the vast majority of wildlife is endemic only to the island and witness the human side of natural resource management. Study alongside Malagasy university students, employing social and natural science field techniques in coral reef systems, national parks, and farming and fishing villages. Stay with local families, learn the Malagasy language, and enhance your French as you become immersed in francophone Africa. Visit the Ankanin’ny Nofy Reserve, where you can see the iconic aye aye and the carnivorous plant Nepenthes. See the amazing Sarodrano cave, a basin filled with clear, blue fresh water, under a rocky overhang as well as the beautiful canyon of Isalo National Park.
Highlights
- Explore the luxuriant vegetation, and fauna of the Ankafobe forest in the central highland.
- Observe the island’s rare and charismatic baobab, herpetofauna, and lemur species.
- Trek the rainforest of Andasibe, and the spiny forest in Tulear.
- Build your résumé and skills with an internship or Independent Study Project.
Prerequisites
Previous college-level coursework in environmental studies, ecology, biology, or related fields. Three recent semesters of college-level French or equivalent, and the ability to follow coursework in French, as assessed by SIT.