MBG: Development through conservation
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under madagascar
Chris Birkinshaw (right) and Christian Camara (center), both of MoBot, inspect flora at the Ankafobe reserve in Central Madagascar
Solofo, president of the local fokontany, checks sohisika seedlings at the nursery
Seedlings of sohisika, a tree endemic to only a few small stands of forest in central Madagascar
Before leaving Madagascar, I took a day-trip with botanists Chris Birkinshaw and Christian Camara from the Missouri Botanical Garden to inspect a small nature reserve and several associated projects.
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Tags: ankafobe, antananarivo, conservation, environment, madagascar, missouri botanical garden, photography, plants, sohisika, trees
≤20 seconds: Dancing lemurs
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under madagascar
I’ve decided to begin posting video shorts — ≤20 seconds — of particularly compelling, stunning or funny scenes. Think slice-of-life moments that cry out for more than just a photo. I’ll be adding these from time to time to the blog in a separate category, as well as to a new YouTube channel.
The first (more lemur-induced laughs) comes from southern Madagascar at the Reserve de Nahampoana.
I can already hear exactly how at least one of you will giggle.
Tags: cute, lemur, less than 20 seconds, madagascar, reserve de nahampoana, sifaka, tourism, video short, wildlife
Ring, brown and sifaka, oh my! (photos)
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under madagascar
Tags: environment, fauna, flora, ft dauphin, lemur, lemurs, madagascar, photography, reserve de nahampoana, sifaka, tourism, wildlife
Sifaka is pronounced ‘shif-akh’ (photo)
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under madagascar
Hello, sifaka.
Cute little bastard, isn’t he? One of the Reserve de Nahampoana’s many funny “dancing” lemurs, so named because when on the ground they hop sideways everywhere they go. More photos coming soon.
Tags: ft dauphin, lemur, madagascar, photography, sifaka, wildlife
Meat, glorious meat
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under madagascar
Plastic wrap isn't exactly an option.
Tags: antananarivo, emerging nations, food, madagascar, market, meat, more meat, photography, poverty
Does this look like a titanium mine?
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under madagascar
The mining company's big gambit
I came to Ft. Dauphin in remote southern Madagascar for one primary purpose: to visit the Rio Tinto titanium mine that is pledging to be environmentally friendly.
This photo came from the nature conservancy at the first mine site in Mandena; the nursery above will be used when the company attempts the gargantuan task of regrowing precious littoral (coastal) forest out of fields of sand left behind by the mine.
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Tags: conservation, environment, forest, ft dauphin, madagascar, mining, nursery, plants, rio tinto, titanium
The simple (read: poor) life in southern Madagascar
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under madagascar
A typical roadside hut in southern Madagascar
Tags: bush, emerging nations, ft dauphin, madagascar, photography, poverty, rural, village
Tana’s charming views
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under madagascar
Winding streets of Tana's hills
Tags: antananarivo, french, madagascar
Sunset on a quiet beach
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under madagascar
Isolated and beautiful
I’ve been in Ft. Dauphin, where the keyboards have the French layout and very few people speak English, for three days now. This, by right of its natural beauty, should be a perfect sun and surf tourism destination. Unfortunately for the local economy, it’s mostly empty (not withstanding the four French guys I met playing foosball who, again, spoke almost zero English).
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Tags: antananarivo, beach, beer, ft dauphin, madagascar, sunset, tourism
What can you do with 100 Ariary?
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under madagascar
A gangster roll, but only $300
Madagascar’s currency is a mind-trip. Inflation (and I’m guessing poor central banking) has left large denominations mostly meaningless. At the airport in Tana on Wednesday, $1 was just shy of 2,000 ariary. The largest bill I’ve seen is a 5000 AR note. Do the math ($2.50).
Though my airfare was astronomical ($700 for the roundtrip from Nairobi to Tana and $425 for the roundtrip from Tana to Ft. Dauphin), prices on the ground are relatively cheap.
A coffee is between 50 cents and a $1.50. A 500 ml beer of Gold (the upscale brand that is actually not bad for a lager) is between $1.50 and $2.50.
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Tags: antananarivo, ariary, beer, coffee, currency, madagascar, thailand, tourism
