New Laboratory at Ranomafana National Park Research Station, Madagascar

Suny At Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Wright at the State University of New York at Stony Brook to continue the upgrade of the research station at Ranomafana National Park. This upgrade will improve the ability of the station to meet its twin goals of training and research. Annual use of the Ranomafana National Park Research Station (RNPRS) in Madagascar has grown from 75 to up to 182 scientists in the past five years. However the facilities are too small for these usage levels, provide inadequate laboratory facilities for modern scientific research techniques, and have no direct communication with the international community. Previous NSF support (DEB-9602577 and DEB-9978270) contributed to the planning of the upgrade and the construction of a classroom/dining room and administrative complex. This grant provides funds to construct an air-conditioned laboratory to permit modern scientific research techniques in this remote rainforest site. The new laboratory will be adjacent to and connected to the Dining/Classroom and Administration building being constructed during Phase I. The building will be three stories high, providing 675 m2 of floor space and 150 m2 of veranda. All labs will have sinks, lab benches, ample electrical outlets at 110V and 220V, and locked storage. The labs will be designed to be general-use, but each floor will include specialized equipment to address current research needs. Windows on the south side will overlook the scenic Namorona River and the forested national park across the river. Madagascar is one of the world's top ten biodiversity hot spots, containing a disproportionately high number of the world's plant and animal species for its area. Most of Madagascar's species are endemic (found nowhere else in the world) because the island has been separated from the mainland for 88 million years and species have evolved in isolation. The rain forest habitat of Madagascar is severely threatened by human activities (logging, slash and burn agriculture, hunting) resulting in the disappearance of 79% of the original rain forest habitat. High species diversity, long isolation, high endemicity, and severe threat make Madagascar rain forests a focus of intense scientific and conservation interest. For these same reasons, the rain forest at Ranomafana National Park serves as an excellent comparison to some of the better-studied rain forest sites in the Neotropics, Africa, and Asia. Ranomafana National Park Research Station is located in Ranomafana National Park, which protects 43,500 ha. of rain forest in southeast Madagascar. The station is operated by the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments (ICTE), affiliated with the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Over 125 faculty-level researchers and over twice that number of students, most from US universities, have conducted research at RNP since the station was built in 1989. The RNPRS is the most important center for rain forest research and training in Madagascar and the only research station with more than one permanent building. Research at the RNPRS will contribute to local, national, and international understanding of the dynamics of this unique rain forest, as well as how to protect it's threatened biodiversity. Training programs at the RNPRS will reach greater numbers of US undergraduate and graduate students, and Malagasy students, scientists, and policy makers.