Celebrating amazing women in conservation: spotlight on Madagascar

Women play a vital role in conservation, not only for the knowledge, ideas, and solutions they can offer but also because of the different parts they play in society and the effect this has on the way they use natural resources.

For this reason, part of Fauna & Flora International’s (FFI’s) work aims to further the development of female conservation leaders, such as Julie Hanta Razafimanahaka – Director at Madawaska Voakajy – FFI’s partner in Madagascar.

Julie admires roosting bats (Hipposideros commersoni) in the forest of Tampolo

Julie first became involved with FFI in 2003 when she joined a team of scientists supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) for her undergraduate research project studying bat ecology and behavior in Madagascar’s Bemaraha National Park.

Here, she shares some of her experiences, and talks about how she got to where she is today:

Why did you first get involved in conservation?

I originally wanted to be a farmer, but at university, I saw that ecological studies would offer me field time. I love traveling, and being surrounded by nature inspires me. I always feel happier and healthier when I’m in the field.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Our work at Madagasikara Voakajy looks at the interactions between people and their natural environment. Key to this is providing the solid scientific information needed for effective conservation, so I really love it when our research findings lead directly into conservation actions that improve the standard of living in the villages where we work.

What has been your most amazing wildlife encounter?

There are so many to choose from! Perhaps the time I came face-to-face with an aye aye (a strange-looking lemur that is thought to bring bad luck) while radio-tracking bats late at night in the forest.

We were heading back to camp when, all of a sudden, we heard a really strange noise. The guide told us that it might be an aye aye, so we waited and then saw its big eyes! I’m pleased to say that it hasn’t brought me any bad luck so far, and I’d love to see one again in the wild!

Can you tell us about a memorable experience in the field?

During a research trip to a remote village in southern Madagascar, my team and I had gone without a bath for several days. It was very dry, and we needed all our water for drinking and cooking. On the third day, however, it rained.

Manjoazy waits for more rain to come

One of the team members – Manjoazy – was so excited that he took out his soap and started washing it, but as soon as he had finished soaping his body, the rain stopped! Thankfully, he managed to get the soap off by collecting water from anywhere possible (off the tent, off the car…).

How has the CLP helped you in your career?

As well as supporting the team that I conducted my undergraduate research with, the CLP also gave me alumni travel grants to attend the Student Conference on Conservation Science in Cambridge (SCCS) in 2005, and a Society for Conservation Biology meeting in South Africa in 2007.

By that time, I was a research assistant at Madagasikara Voakajy, but the SCCS trip was my first time out of Madagascar, and my first time speaking to an international audience – I was really nervous!

Thankfully, once I got used to speaking English, I was fine and I found it surprisingly easy to make new friends – even though we came from different countries and cultures.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?

The biggest challenge has definitely been taking over the directorship of Madagasikara Voakajy – I have always enjoyed working in the field, but now I spend most of my days stuck behind a desk!

What has been your most rewarding success?

My most rewarding moment was getting my team to sing and dance after working throughout the night during a 40-day field trip in 2006. We had been working so hard and hadn’t had much sleep, but we still had enough spirit to sing a Malagasy song called ‘Tsikitsiky lava’, meaning ‘Smile, smile, always smile’.

What advice would you give to conservationists starting out in their careers?

Doing research is the easy part of conservation; the most challenging and exciting thing is linking findings with conservation actions, and this will always include people. Do not stop until you get to that point.