Volunteer Conservation Research Program in Madagascar

Thank you so much to SEED for all that you do and for letting me play a small part during my time in Madagascar! The stay at the camp was amazing, with all that I could want and a great team welcoming me and taking the time to make sure all the volunteers were happy (even when they were knackered after a day of transects in torrential rain). A big highlight was the Varika lemurs leaping between the trees above the outdoor showers in the evenings. We were also lucky enough to meet Lisa (a member of the SCRP team) in her final week at camp and were there to witness a special ‘Veloma’ (goodbye party) with the national staff before she set off for her next adventure. It was at the party that we heard Hoby’s, a pillar of the SCRP team, song for the first time (later becoming a recurring motif in the trip, the most meaningful rendition of it being by a classroom full of children on our trip to the Manafiafy school in our final days). After a week of transects none of us could wait to see the beach everyone had been raving about and we certainly weren’t let down; crystal clear water, a beautiful sandy coast and a fresh coconut under the shade of a palm tree - paradise.

I joined SEED's conservation team for 1 month in the forests of Saint Luce, and had such a fantastic experience! I learnt so much from the conservation research team, going on daily surveys of local populations of lemurs, geckos, frogs, and insects. I also got to be a part of SEED's other projects with local communities, including attending a focus group with the Mahampy reed-weaving cooperative and helping facilitate a school session on coral reefs at a rural school. The volunteer program was such a fantastic way to learn about the humanitarian and conservation sectors, and also witness SEED's great work in Madagascar!

I had a really wonderful time with SEED Madagascar, on their conservation volunteering project in Sainte Luce. I was made to feel very welcome, and was very well looked after by the team on the ground. With the challenging conditions, health and safety was everyone's top priority, and I felt 100% safe and supported throughout my stay. Living conditions are basic - camping with limited sanitation (long drop toilets, well water bucket showers, purified rain water for drinking), and food is provided but options and variation is limited - but that is because you are living right in the forest, and the camp is regularly visited by lemurs, chameleons, frogs and other wildlife, wich more than makes up for it! With walking, and the occasional pirogue (dug out canoe) being the only locally available methods of transport, you need to be prepared to walk or paddle long distances (often 40 mins - 1hr) in the heat, and so good shoes (that can get wet - I highly recommend a pair of crocs!) and water carriers (a backpack bladder-type is ideal, but a good sized water bottle is fine too) are important. These treks are a reward in themselves, though, with breathtakingly beautiful scenery during the day and wonderfully dark night skies where the milky way and magellanic clouds were clearly visible. Helping with day and night-time surveys in the forest meant I got to see a wide variety of wildlife, much of it endemic to Madagascar, and to help SEED with their ongoing efforts to protect what is left of this unique and endangered habitat. I was also able to assist with conservation lessons at the local school, which were a fascinating glimpse into life in the local community. If you want to see Madagascar off the beaten track and away from the tourist towns and cities, and want to contribute to an organisation making a real difference on the ground, you really couldn't do better than volunteering with SEED Madagascar. I wish I had been able to stay longer, and really hope to return in the future.