There is an organization called Blue Ventures, run out of England, that has a program utilizing mostly volunteers in studying/monitoring reefs in a remote area in western Madagascar. This would be an example of "research tourism." They are very involved with the local community and have worked with many villages along the coast in setting up MPAs. A Malagasy man from the village where Blue Ventures is located won a prestigious conservation prize from World Wildlife Foundation recently for development of the MPA. In my opinion, the prize should have also gone to Alasdair Harris, the founder and director of Blue Ventures, who was behind the project. We were there (Andavadoaka) back in January doing our own research on mangrove fish communities and were very impressed with the way the organization and the volunteers (mostly Brits and Europeans but some Americans and Australians as well)interacted with the the local villagers. They also had some Malagasy graduate students on site working on their research projects.
> I agree with the below. Research tourism leaves very little viable i.e. > sustainable work behind, and can cause damage to ecosystems (as was seen > with the Kihansi Spray Toad Debacle in Tanzania where researchers from > abroad, visiting many world sites with amphibian demise carried in the > virus on their boots, for the final wipe-out) and to abandonment of the > care aand management of ecologically sensitive areas by local populations > (such as the Serengeti Plains where populations of wildebeest, wild dogs, > etc. have recentlycrashed). > > Fulbright Scholarships might give a way to work in a university and be > part of the training people in Africa to set the priorities and do the > research. > > --- On Thu, 12/4/08, Charlie Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > From: Charlie Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: FW: [ECOLOG-L] Perspectives on research in Africa > To: "Anne Outwater" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Thursday, December 4, 2008, 7:42 PM > > FYI > Charlie > > All truth passes through three stages. > First it is ridiculed. > Second it is violently opposed. > Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. > - Arthur Shopenhauer (1788-1860) > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nathan Brouwer > Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2008 11:02 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Perspectives on research in Africa > > Some organizations that offer at least small grants that I think could be > used in Africa are: > http://www.foc-uk.com/ > http://www.bou.org.uk/bouresg.htm > > As important as funding issues in working in Africa are logistical and > cultural ones. Africa has perhaps the lowest African scientist to western > scientist ratio in the world. This limits opportunities for collaboration > with nationals, and also creates the problem of recapitulating colonialism > through science. I know of major, long-term wildlife studies that do not > incorporate any African's except as camp guards. Conservation, wildlife > management, agriculture, and sustainability will not go far if locals are > not invested in the research. There is an African Academy of Science and > also numerous journals published in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South > Africa. > > > > > >
