Conservation research in Madagascar blossoms into International Group UTRA

A summer research opportunity in Madagascar leads to a multidepartmental
international group UTRA for six Brown undergraduates.
By Maria Rose

A summer ago, Kathryn Tanner ’00 was stationed on the exotic beaches of Madagascar, but she wasn’t working on her tan. She was conducting research with her faculty advisor, Caroline Karp, for a community-based marine conservation organization.

Tanner’s research was funded by an International Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantship (UTRA), which supports collaborative research efforts and course development between a student and faculty member at an international site. The project gives students hands-on research experience while working closely with faculty experts, and enables them to contribute to the development and improvement of the curriculum.

Tanner, an environmental studies concentrator, and Karp, senior lecturer in environmental studies, lived and worked in the traditional fishing village of Anakao. Their research team included two Stanford University students and two Malagasy graduate students. The research they conducted focused on marine resource management and conservation.

Tourism has quickly become the second industry in Anakao, a village of about 2,000 “basio,” or “people of the sea.” Construction of a new beachfront resort on the northern side of Anakao enables travelers to visit the pristine beaches without foregoing modern amenities like toilets and running water. The village has become “an ideal destination for scuba and diving,” says Tanner.

The new source of revenue contributes to the local economy in several ways: The resort buys plenty of fish for its guests; locals sell crafts to the visitors; and jobs have been created within the resort itself.

But problems accompany the village’s budding tourism industry – problems that affect the locals. “Tourists consume 13 times more seafood than villagers,” notes Tanner. “They also create solid waste, such as batteries and bottles, and are the primary buyers of live shells.” The island’s scarce water supply is stressed by the resort guests’ showers and toilets. With the construction of new bungalows and arrival of more tourists, the growth of the village itself is restricted, and fishermen’s catches will decrease.

Through interviews conducted with local fishermen, families, fish buyers and tourists, Tanner and her research team collected data on behalf of the community-based marine organization. Their findings and recommendations were compiled into a report, which was presented to the community-based organization, the resort and the Malagasy National Environmental Office.

Suggestions included a per-capita meal tax for tourists – money that would go back into the community; the development of regulations on water quality and waste management; and ecotourism certification, which calls for environmentally sensitive resource use and consumption practices. According to Tanner, such infrastructures are necessary because “currently there are no bureaucratic institutions in place to address these issues.”

The report, “The Role of a Tourist Operation in Community-Based Marine Resource Management: Anakao, Madagascar,” also served as Tanner’s thesis. She was invited to present the paper at BIOSFERA, an international conference on ecotourism held in Brazil in April. Tanner will return to Madagascar in January through a Fulbright scholarship.

Based on the success of the research initiative, Karp and Tanner sought to build upon their collaboration with the Malagasy and the relationships they formed with the environmental organizations. Upon their return, Karp and Tanner met for a brainstorming session with Karen Romer, associate dean for academic affairs and programs, and talked about an even broader collaborative effort.

Romer’s fascination with Madagascar began a couple of years ago after listening to a presentation by Perry Sheffield ’98, who had recently returned from an UTRA project. Sheffield worked in a clinic with a renowned enthnobotanist, integrating traditional medicinal methods with alternative healing that use local plant substances. “I thought this was absolutely exciting,” said Romer. “I wanted to see if there were other students and faculty interested in pursuing projects there.”

Karp had no trouble finding colleagues interested in conducting research in Madagascar. Peter Heywood, professor of biology and medicine; Nancy Jacobs, assistant professor of history; and Richard Wetzler, associate professor (research) at the Watson Institute, were seeking French-speaking students interested in conducting research in Africa.

The result was Karp’s proposal for an International Group UTRA, a unique collaborative research effort representing five academic departments: environmental studies; molecular, cellular biology-biochemistry; ecology and evolutionary biology; history; and the Watson Institute Global Change Initiative. Karp, Wetzler, Heywood and Jacobs are serving as faculty advisors to six students whose projects will further contribute to Malagasy conservation efforts. The projects are under way this summer.

The students are working independently on their projects, which address conservation issues in tourism, irrigation, ethnobotany and ornithology, and are conducting research with the help Malagasy graduate students. The projects could lead to credited courses.

According to Karp, all projects benefit the people of Madagascar. “We’re still testing to see whether this international model has merit,” she notes, but it is clear that the group UTRA project will foster “a cross-fertilization of ideas and cultures” between Brown and Malagasy students. Romer agrees, calling the project “a superb opportunity for undergraduate research” and “one of the exciting ways an initiative can feed back to the University.”

Programs like International UTRA further the “internationalization of the Brown curriculum and the preparation of undergraduates for life in our interdependent global future,” Romer has said. As Tanner puts it, “Globalization is taking place at such a fast rate, which can be negative. This collaboration is very positive. We are able to really share our knowledge and lifestyles.”