The last few weeks

Over the last few weeks I have been steadily beavering away in the office and managed to piggy back two trips to the bush. I went out to visit the pioneers in Volobe a few weeks ago. It was very surreal going back to the bush and not being involved in any way shape or form with the running of the scheme but it was so good to be back in Volobe and to just be able to sit back and enjoy being there without feeling guilty that I should be doing something or other.

My second bush trip was out with the Lemur Venture volunteers to the forest at Petriky. Petriky is one of only three remaining parcels of littoral forest left in Madagascar (with St Luce and Mandena, where Rio Tinto are already mining ilmenite being the other two). The main reason for my trip was to provide a bit of extra support to Lisa (who is more than capable but two pairs of hands are better than one).

Azafady had an extra Lemur Veture volunteer for the second half of their scheme. This extra volunteer's visit is due to the recent announcement that Azafady have been chosen as the Prix Pictet 2009 Commission Project. The Prix Pictet Commission is an annual invitation for a photographer, chosen from the Prix Pictet shortlist, to produce a series of images by visiting a region where Pictet & Cie are supporting a project or group of projects related to the theme of the award. For 2009 Pictet & Cie will support Azafady's work in Madagascar. The images made for the Prix Pictet Commission 2009 will be shown in London in early 2010.

It is an amazing opportunity for Azafady. Not only will the pictures taken in Madagascar in January 2010nshowcase Azafady's work on afforestation in Madagascar, but the photographs taken by this year's winning photographer are to be made into a coffee table book which will be sent out to ALL the banks investors and shareholders. Fingers crossed this opportunity will raise the profile of Azafady still further and may lead to more funding opportunities which would make a huge difference in the current economic climate.

So, back to Petriky. Lemur Venture were there to conduct a population census on the Ring tailed lemurs who live in the forest. Because the area is due to be mined, Rio Tinto have carried out extensive research on the flora in the area, but for some reason no research has been done on the fauna in the area. The forest of Petriky is approximatey 700 ha in area and in 5 days there I did not see a single ring tail. It was very hot and the trails are all 6 inches deep in hot sand. My patience did wear thin at times! The night walks were much more fruitful with loads of mouse lemurs and fat tailed dwarf lemurs scampering about in the brush and there were plenty of snakes, bugs and beautiful flowers to hold my interest during the lemurless days!

The forest at Petriky lies alongside a huge brackish lake. No bucket showers for Sarah this time!

Cacti flowers

The forest at Petriky. The forest has only been protected for the past 2 years and as a result is severely degraded in places. There are hardly any trees with a diameter above 20 cm as the forest has been used so intensively by local communities that trees never get the chance to grow any larger. Our local guide told us that local people are still hunting and eating the lemurs in the area.

Male snake...I forget the species


Female snake of the same unknown species as the male above

Pill Millipede eyes. No lemurs results in novel means of entertainment.

I have also moved house! A new wave of lovely volunteers meant that I could move in to my own little house in the grounds of the Azafady office. 24 hour internet access!

My new house. The bottom floor is an office, the upper floor has two rooms where I now live.

Bedroom in the background, sitting area in the foreground. Cosy!

As you can see from the picture it's made of traditional Malagasy materials which mans it is very well ventilated and wobbles a bit in the breeze but it has withstood numerous cyclone seasons so I'm not too concerned!

5 weeks today I'll be eating a jacket potato with cheese and beans with a big piece of gammon and probably feeling very disorientated. The next few weeks are going to truely fly.