| NEWS:
November 2012: Start of "AMBio MADAGASCAR - strategies for the conservation
of biodiversity in Madagascar using the example of Lake Alaotra"
This research project addresses the complex ecological and sociological situation around Lake Alaotra in a
interdisciplinary approach by three complementary sub-projects : (I) research on the ecological relationships
of the disturbed lake ecosystem, (II) development of culturally adapted forms of environmental education in schools
and for local stakeholders and (III) the development of appropriate alternative uses of the natural resources, especially
the invasive plant Eichhornia crassipes. The project is conducted in cooperation with Stiftung Universität Hildesheim and will run over three years. Here the presentation of the three PhD students and their work:
March 2012: Completion
of the Environmental Education Poster
The new Environmental Education Poster is completed! It
was developed between October 2010 and December 2011 as a cooperation
project of Madagascar Wildlife Conservation and the Durrell Wildlife
Conservation Trust, the Ako Project and the McCrae Conservation
and Education Fund. It will be distributed in all primary schools,
MWC is working with. In the long term all schools around the lake
should have environmental posters. In addition to the schools
the school and environmental authorities, the tourism organizations,
hotels and the village and fishing communities are supplied with
posters in order to reach a large audience around the Lake Alaotra.
February 2011: Emmanuelle
Tanaïs Aupest draws educative materials as addition to the
MWC comic
The goal of MWC’s environmental education is to interest
school children in their environment through diverse learning
offers and to introduce them to different methods of conservation.
The artist Emmanuelle Tanaïs Aupests educational material
is designed to be used interactively in class and therefore forms
a perfect addition to MWC’s program.
The material consists of three habitat images and a page with
animals from the region Alaotra. Scissors and glue will be handed
to the children in the classroom, in order for them to cut out
the animals and paste them into the right environment. By doing
so children should notice that the gorilla has sneaked onto the
animal page but does not live in their environment. A second way
to use the materials is by doing a multiple choice exercise where
the children have to connect short descriptions to the right animals.
Homepage of the artist: www.tanais-aupest.com
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January 2011: Film about the Bandro
and the Project Alaotra
In 2010 a team of two journalists and filmmakers visited Camp
Bandro to shoot a short movie about the Bandro and the projects
of MWC. The film is now finished
and has recently been published on the website of “The
Guardian”. MWC is very grateful to Richard Sprenger und
Emily Payne for her excellent work documenting the rare Bandro,
the life in the village of Andreba and the conservation activities
of MWC.
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November 2010: EAZA again supports
MWC’s environmental education program
In the second round of its Madagascar campaign the European
Association of Zoos and Aquarias (EAZA) considered the environmental
education program of MWC with a donation of 8,900 EUR.
With this contribution MWC aims at developing
a scientific tool to evaluate the comic book´s impact
on the pupil´s environmental knowledge and awareness.
Surveys and questionnaires will be used to explore possible
drivers and barriers impeding or increasing environmental learning.
This data will then be implemented to advance and improve the
project’s educational effect.
During the evaluation phase an annual teacher’s
workshop will be organized offering the chance to exchange experiences
and knowledge on environmental education. Additionally a travelling
exhibition is planned for 2012 that will move from school to
school offering interactive activities about environmental issues
(e.g. draw pictures, play theatre or environmental games, create
clay animals, see documentary movies about the nature in other
countries etc..) for the school children.
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October 2010: "McCrae Conservation and Education Fund"
finances a learning poster about Lake Alaotra
Janet McCrae is a dedicated English conservationist, who has
supported conservation and environmental education in different
places of Madagascar for a long time. Her "McCrea conservation
and Education Fund" has already financed the drawing
of five learning posters of different Malagasy habitats by
an English artist. In 2011 the artist will now draw another
poster about Lake Alaotra that can be integrated in the environmental
education of primary schools.
Antje Rendigs from MWC Germany has met Janet
McCrea in October 2010 in Madagascar and visited with her
one of the primary schools near the Lake. The teachers of
the school were very interested and a lively discussion on
design and content of the new poster emerged.
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