Conservation Programme with SEED Madagascar

SEED Madagascar (Sustainable Environment, Education & Development in Madagascar) is an award-winning British registered charity (number 1079121) founded in 2000.

Operating in the south-east of Madagascar, we manage a wide range of sustainable development and conservation projects within the town of Fort Dauphin, as well as with numerous rural communities across the Anosy region. Alongside this, we aim to raise global awareness of Madagascar’s unique needs and build constructive partnerships to aid development. We can proudly state that 92% of all donations go directly to support our charitable aims and we constantly work to ensure that our administrative costs are kept as low as possible.

SEED Madagascar is dedicated to providing locally developed initiatives based on the expressed needs of our partner communities. Our approach is based on partnership, co-management and skill-sharing by individuals, communities and local organisations. The programmes that result from this approach will lead to lasting change, alleviating poverty and supporting environmental conservation for some of the world’s most vulnerable people in threatened and irreplaceable environments.

Approach

SEED Madagascar is dedicated to providing locally developed initiatives based on the expressed needs of our partner communities. Our approach is based on partnership, co-management and skill-sharing by individuals, communities and local organisations. The programmes that result from this approach will lead to lasting change, alleviating poverty and supporting environmental conservation for some of the world’s most vulnerable people in threatened and irreplaceable environments.

We achieve this in the following ways:

As a direct manager of charitable projects on the ground in Madagascar
These projects are governed by SEED Madagascar’s in-country team, who employ local and international staff to develop, run and evaluate the projects. We focus on capacity-building by supporting the professional development of individuals working within the projects.
As a financial and technical partner of local organisations running charitable projects in Madagascar
These projects are jointly governed by local organisations along with SEED Madagascar’s in-country senior management team. SEED Madagascar supports the development of the projects and oversees all funding and donor communication requirements, building the capacity of the local organisations to work towards independence.

• As a technical partner of local organisations running independently-funded charitable projects in Madagascar

These projects are governed by local organisations that have independently developed and funded their programmes. SEED works in an advisory capacity, providing a unique blend of local experience and international knowledge in order to support these organisations in carrying out best practice.
By diversifying the way we work we are able to better fulfil our capacity building remit at all levels, making greater progress towards achieving our mission and realising our vision.

Our Goals

To support a range of organisations to respond flexibly and efficiently to the most critical needs of communities in the Anosy region
To enable a range of organisations to contribute to achievement of the government’s objectives and targets in the fields of community health, education, sustainable livelihoods, and environmental conservation.

• Own pre-departure costs including flights, visa, personal equipment, medical preparations and vaccinations
• Travel insurance for the duration of their project.

The SEED Madagascar Conservation Programme has a very varied daily schedule depending on study activity and location, but a typical day in the field starts with breakfast at 7am. This is followed by a 3-4 hour expedition in the forest conducting research until just before midday, when you will return for lunch. A typical activity is walking a lemur transect through a fragment of littoral forest – once spotted, with the help of the local guides, you will be recording critical data including the number and sex of lemurs, or observing their behaviour. Another day, you could find yourself assessing reptile abundance through herpetological transects.

We take a two-hour break during the heat of the day to eat lunch, nap, relax or sunbathe, as well as time to evaluate the morning’s progress or have a Malagasy language lesson. The afternoon work session then starts around 2pm. Work continues until about 5pm, but will vary depending on the time of year. Then it is back to camp for a bucket shower!

Evenings are very sociable affairs and generally volunteers discuss their days amongst each other whilst having supper together at around 6pm, and preparing for the next day, sometimes with talks on interesting topics from the Research Assistants or visiting staff members. On some evenings you will find yourself doing nocturnal research: walking through the littoral forests searching for nocturnal species of lemurs or reptiles and amphibians typically from 7pm to 11pm.

Work with the community will involve helping with the environmental education classes or Conservation Club with the children on a Saturday morning. These aspects are both fun and rewarding.

Duration: 2-10 weeks (available in 2-week increments)

Dates: Four schemes each year. See dates »

Location: Anosy region, South-East Madagascar