Biodiversity & Natural Resource Management

Explore rainforests, mangroves, coral reefs, and the environmental challenges of Madagascar, isolated from neighboring land masses for more than 100 million years. 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, and study Malagasy or French. 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 crystal blue fresh water, as well as the beautiful canyon of Isalo National Park.