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:: Betampona Natural Reserve

The Saint Louis University and MFG Collaboration

Since 1990 the MFG has been engaged in collecting data to document   Betampona National Reserve's biodiversity.  Although the majority of MFG's targeted research was initially centered around Varecia, the focus has steadily expanded in depth and breadth.  More recently, increased access to GPS units has improved the quality and comparability of data compiled by MFG's Conservation Agents and other researchers.   

The MFG's overarching research goal for Betampona has always been to produce an increasingly comprehensive picture of 1) the Reserve's biodiversity, 2) how ecological, genetic, demographic, environmental and anthropogenic morphic variables and pressures are impacting species viability and 3) what species are at greatest risk of population declines and local extinction with the goal of using the data to inform management decisions.  Through the longitudinal accumulation of diverse data sets we may be able to address such important yet highly complex questions as how management plans for one species could impact the viability of one or more other species.  

The challenge for conservation biologists is that collecting data sets on a range of species and variables is easier than analyzing them to extract meaningful results. The MFG has long recognized that a single relational database was required to unleash the power and value of the Betampona data.  We also realized that a data management program tailored to our current needs while incorporating a structure to accommodate future research and conservation questions required someone with substantial expertise in GIS .

To that end we were remarkably fortunate that our collaboration with Dr. Richard Mayden at Saint Louis University (SLU) led to meeting Dr. Timothy Kusky from SLU's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.   Dr. Kusky is not only a recognized expert in GIS and remote sensing but had amassed one of the best geologic databases of Madagascar in the world through his research assessing Madagascar's mineral resources.  His interest and enthusiasm with the MFG's work and the power of GIS to significantly amplify our research capacity resulted in the strong and fruitful partnership we enjoy today.  Under Dr. Kusky's guidance, graduate student Tsilavo Raharimahefa initiated the development of a georeferenced map of Betampona.  In 2008 Dr. Kusky's colleague, Dr. Wasit Wulamu, assumed the role as the primary GIS researcher on the project. With funding from the Saint Louis Zoo's WildCare Center, the Margo Marsh Biodiversity Foundation, Saint Louis University and the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conservation Campaign for Madagascar, Dr. Wulamu has built the basic structure of the georeferenced relational database which is specifically tailored to the MFG's work and managed in a dedicated server at SLU.  He is now increasing the analytical power of the database by populating it with diverse satellite images from which detailed maps of vegetation, water courses, topography, tree species distributions, canopy health, settlements and much more can be overlaid with data gathered by visiting researchers (endangered species distributions, microhabitat evaluations, individual animal home ranges etc.  The database will be accessible  via the web to those who have a password  thereby facilitating data exchange between MFG, MNP and the visiting researchers.
 

The Role of Evaluation in Natural Resource Management

Betampona Natural Reserve represents one of the few remaining intact areas of lowland forest in Madagascar. Despite its small size 2,228 hectares (22.28 km2) Betampona is home to 11 species of lemurs, 89 bird, 68 reptile and 119 amphibian taxa. It has also been recognised as one of the most biodiverse of Madagascar's ecosystems for its plant species according to Chris Birkenshaw, of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Antananarivo. A number of the flora and fauna species found in the Reserve are new to science and, as yet , undescribed.  Other taxa are known only from Betampona; many are endangered. Although the Reserve is 22.28 km2 the MFG's project site encompasses 68 km2 as it includes the Zone of Protection encircling the Reserve. Designed to protect the forest, the Zone no long serves as a buffer due to extensive slash and burn agriculture that has been practiced through the Zone and all the way up to the Reserve's boundaries. Despite its classification at the highest level of protection afforded by the Malagasy system of Protected Areas, Betampona remains susceptible to illegal logging and poaching activities. The few, very small and isolated forests around the Reserve are rapidly being logged, and each year small areas of the Reserve are illegally logged leading to a gradual but steady loss of forest cover.
 

Among the many challenges that face conservation biologists is the ability to scientifically evaluate the effect of management strategies. Limited financial and human resources and the speed at which environmental degradation is taking place in Madagascar make it especially important to assess the impact of conservation plans.  Whether positive or negative, lessons learned must be taken into account when formulating future plans. The role of research in natural resource management work has been described by Sayer & Campbell, 2004, as a way to "formalize" trial and error. They explain natural resource management requires a mastery of diverse disciplines such as ecology, sociology, economics, GIS, agriculture and politics. "The relationships of these disciplines on any biological system is exceedingly complex and poorly understood. That managers operate in an environment where the outcomes of their actions are uncertain is precisely why they must adapt to these uncertainties and look at everything that they do as a research trial. Managers should maintain accurate records following a predetermined protocol and monitor their progress and results" (Sayer & Cambell, 2004).  GIS is the single most important tool available to conservation biologists. It is essential when biologists are interested in analysing the response of individual animal or plant species to , for example, climate or anthropogenic changes  since it is usually the outcome of many contributing factors for which the relative importance of any one variable varies with spatial and temporal scale.

Monitoring Conservation Research in Betampona

The GIS database will be very important in both documenting and evaluating the efficacy of the MFG's reforestation project. The MFG is collaborating with MNP (formerly ANGAP) and local communities to plant commercial and native trees in the Zone of Protection and communal areas within villages. The MFG provides participating villages with supplies, seeds and training to establish tree nurseries. Contracts for replanting the Zone of Protection stipulate that 50% of planted trees must be native species; in 2009 235 contracts had been signed and 10,000 trees covering 15 hectares were planted. Conservation dollars are devoted to this program therefore an accurate assessment of whether the reforestation program is fulfilling its goals is essential for deciding if we should continue, modify or redirect dollars to another conservation effort.

The enhanced GIS database will give us a direct method to measure the area within Betampona that is now occupied by two highly invasive exotics, guava and wild ginger, and which native trees species are suffering from decreased numbers. The database will enable incorporation of data from ongoing ecological studies to evaluate  which animal and plant species are most endangered from the Reserve's transformation by these exotic weeds.   

Because Betampona is classified as a Natural Reserve active management is strictly limited to MNP. Providing the governing authorities with  sound data on the impact of guava and wild ginger will significantly advance their ability to develop and justify their conservation strategies to remove these invasives from the Reserve. 

Our collaborative research with the Missouri Botanical Garden to survey for the presence of 17 endangered tree species endemic to Betampona will be enhanced by our ability to monitor the trees and  their immediate surroundings over time.  The second component  of this research involves collecting seeds from the these trees for propagation at Parc Ivoloina's ex-situ conservation unit and eventually providing them to MNP for reforestation purposes. Maintaining  both datasets in the same database opens the potential of exploring questions that, although not obvious now, may be highly relevant in the future.

The value of what we learn about the ecological relationships of Betampona's  flora and fauna, the environmental and anthropogenic variables that affect species survival and the impact of conservation strategies through our enhanced ability to analyze complex datasets extends well beyond Betampona's' borders.