Oakham school expedition to Madagascar 1992

Tim Gunn

Dry Forest is threatened by the demands of an increasing population for charcoal and land. This project is an attempt to build on the existing structure to create plantations of the dominant trees with swards of annually harvestable crop between the rows of trees. A long-term study of the growth patterns of Alludia procera and A. ascendens, important wood-producing species will also be initiated and continued by local plant ecologists. The measurement of the rate of photosynthesis of the dominant plants of the Dry Forest and the effect of high light intensity and water stress on the photosystem will be studied. Local scientists and villagers will be educated and trained to enable the project to be handed over to local management.

Project update: 18/1/98. Madagascar’s dry forests are threatened by the demands of an increasing population for charcoal and land. Intercropped plantations of Alluaudia procera were begun in the Hazofotsy area as part of WWF’s project Andohahela during this expedition and left under local management. A paper on CAM metabolism of A. procera is in prep. (T.C. Gunn in litt. 1998). The project was reportedly a tremendous strain on WWF resources and has not resulted in any follow-up work (F. Lambert in litt. 1998).