Centre ValBio Annual Report 2017 History Centre ValBio (CVB) was created by Professor Patricia Wright in 2003 under the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments’ agree- ment with the Government of Madagascar. The richness of the critically endangered plants and animals, contrasted with the poverty of the people, inspired her to help both survive in harmony. CVB’s mission is: • To promote world-class research and biodiversity training opportunities in one of the world’s most biologically diverse and unique ecosystems; • To promote environmental stewardship by providing conservation ed- ucation and developing ecologically sustainable economic development opportunities within local communities; • To provide the local villagers with the knowledge and tools to improve their quality of life through projects focused on health and well-being. Content Page Letter from the Executive Director 1 Research Station 3 Spreading the Word 4 Programs Research 6 Conservation 14 Capacity Building & Training 16 Community Outreach 20 Looking Ahead 28 Donor Acknowledgments 30 Letter from the Executive Director Dear CVB friends and supporters, a driveway for access, and extend electricity 2017 has been an incredible year on many and water to the site. We also hope to raise levels. Not only have we been expanding funds for bungalows for long term research- physically, on the CVB campus and to other ers, sabbatical and emeritus professors. sites throughout Madagascar, but we have also amplified our programs, thanks to both This past year, we also expanded our com- old and new donors alike! munity outreach programs. In addition to our education and health work, we added Construction on the lower campus is un- an engineering component. With funding derway, as well as plans for developing the from Jeff and Mickey Nagel and thanks to upper campus. The foundation for the IUCN Jesse McKinney’s hard work and dedication, Save our Species (SOS) Biodiversity Center we launched the BeLocal Program. These has been excavated and construction of the innovative programs mobilize and create two-story building begins in early 2018. To beneficial collaborations for the Stony Brook make way for this new center, we relocated University (SBU) campus community. Stu- our outdoor classroom to the riverside of dents from SBU have been working with the lower campus. We thank Susan Cum- local villagers to develop simple but efficient mings-Findel, CVB Board member and solutions to improving daily lives. President of the Sunshine Comes First (SCF) Foundation, for her generous contribution Thanks to an anonymous donor, we doubled towards a new education building, and the our mobile health team by hiring a medical International Union for the Conservation of doctor and two nurses, which allows us to Nature (IUCN) and their SOS Fund for the visit our 20 target villages twice as often. We Biodiversity Center. also worked with PIVOT to send each of our respective health teams on exchange field Thanks to support from the Holtzman Wild- visits. life Foundation, architect Ali Yapiglucio visited CVB to draw final plans for the upper On the education front, we doubled the num- campus, which will soon house the Holtz- ber of remote schools participating in the man Wildlife Center. In 2018, we will install “My Rainforest, My World” education pro- 1 gram thanks to the Three Graces Foundation, Professor of Ecology and Conservation and also concluded. On a positive note, we are re- and were thrilled to host its founders Bruce oversee the new center. Congratulations Dr. viewing the options for future funding of this and Charlene Bainum in May. Jean Claude! project. SCF has continued to be a valuable partner by gifting flexible funds to further Important progress was made with SBU’s Despite the positive growth, operating in a support education and reforestation. Global Health Institute (GHI) and their developing country, especially in the current DrOTs Project to send medical drones to funding climate, presents definite challenges. One of the most important aspects of my remote villages for door-to-door delivery of One of the biggest trials in 2017 was a severe job is to raise awareness about conservation medicine and follow-up of tuberculosis treat- outbreak of the plague (both pneumonic and issues in Madagascar and generate financial ment. Led by Dr. Peter Small, GHI started bubonic). Many of our visitors postponed support for the important work that we are staffing up in Madagascar by first welcoming their research due to cases reported in our doing. This year, I have been traveling, from two postdocs, Dr. Simon Grandjean Lapierre region, which impacted CVB financially. a tour of seven U.S. universities as a Phi Beta and Dr. Astrid Knoblauch, in August. Luckily, many have re-scheduled their visits Kappa Visiting Scholar to speaking at the for 2018. Earth’s Optimism Summit in Washington, One of the most exciting developments was D.C. I also gave Keynote Addresses at two the deepening of our partnership with Rain- Another challenge has been the discontinua- creative think tanks, one in Squaw Valley and forest Trust. In conjunction with MICET, we tion of external funding for several conserva- the other in Sea Island, Georgia. are now in the process of developing two new tion and research programs. After six years, protected areas, one in eastern rainforest support for Conservation International’s As we look ahead to 2018, we are confident and the second in an “unexpected” rainforest Tropical Ecological Assessment and Monitor- that it will be fruitful, having laid much of the in southcentral Madagascar. This will help ing project (TEAM) came to a close. This was groundwork for new projects this past year. achieve the Madagascar Ministry of Environ- the only program of its kind in Madagascar; We are also looking ahead to the future by ment, Ecology and Forests’ vision of creating just one of 21 sites worldwide. Despite the drafting a 10-year strategic plan so that CVB CVB-like research stations throughout Mad- lack of financial support, our team continued may continue to support valuable research agascar. Dr. Benjamin Andriamihaja became to collect data, since long-term climate mon- and provide community support for many our In-Country Director, a crucial role that itoring is an important mandate of research years to come. arose due to this expansion to new sites. stations. Sincerely, CVB also strengthened our relationship Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) funding for with the University of Fianarantsoa. A CVB one year to work with conservation clubs to Information Center was recently inaugu- grow and plant native trees, as well as to de- rated on their campus’ new green space. In velop markets for spices such as wild pepper, Dr. Patricia C. Wright 2018, Dr. Jean Claude, CVB’s current Head Founder and Executive Director of Research, will move to the university as Centre ValBio 2 As in previous years, both researchers and Station Days Research Station Use training programs led CVB’s station usage. The total number of station days in 2017 was In 2017, the Centre ValBio (CVB) Research Researchers made up 34% of those staying at 1316 (researchers) and 3840 (all visitors). Station hosted 253 individuals from 16 CVB in 2017, while 46% of visitors were part Station days decreased by 43% and 41% from different countries to conduct research in of courses and workshops. the last two years. This decrease in station Ranomafana National Park or its surround- days was not only due to the plague out- ing communities, to use our laboratory, to Researchers break, but also because many researchers are participate in a training, workshop or Study spending more days in the field versus at the Abroad program, or to take a tour of our 87 individual researchers stayed at CVB in research station. facilities and attend a lecture. While numbers 2017. The average length of stay was 30 days. were down from last year (2016, with 526 in- The majority of researchers were American dividuals, was a remarkable year!) this num- (65%) and Malagasy (20%). Laboratory Use ber decreased only slightly from 2015 (with 16 researchers used CVB labs in 2017, for 280 individuals), due to 60 cancellations Scientific Tourists and Tour Groups a total number of 141 days of lab use. This during the plague outbreak. 1622 Malagasy students and 624 scientific is down from last year, with 69 researchers tourists toured CVB in 2017. using the lab for 231 days. Visitors per Month 2017 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Researchers Scientific Tourist Study Abroad CVB project 3 Spreading the Word Centre ValBio, with Dr. Patricia Wright at its helm, continues to draw international atten- tion and acclaim for its dedication to conser- vation and community, as well as innovation. Media Coverage • Two segments, one on medical drones (with Dr. Peter Small) and the other on Ranomafana National Park and lemur conservation (with Dr. Patricia Wright), created by Alex Marquardt and his team, were aired on ABC Nightline. • Forbes Africa featured Dr. Wright and the accomplishments of CVB in the article, “The Professor Who Saved an African Rainforest” (October 3, 2017). • RNP was featured in the Mongabay News site as part of their, “How effective is con- servation in Madagascar?” series. Speaking Engagements University of North Carolina, Greensboro, • Dr. Wright was a Featured Speaker at the • This year, Dr. Wright was chosen as a Phi and Colorado College. Through this expo- Earth’s Optimism Summit in Washington, Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar and toured sure, several students from these schools D.C. hosted by the Smithsonian Institu- seven universities and colleges explain- participated in our 2017 Study Abroad tion and National Geographic Society, as ing the mission and accomplishments programs and we expect more in 2018.