Expedition: Tsitongambarika
By Tim Eppley, PhD, Chief Conservation Officer, Wildlife Madagascar
One of Wildlife Madagascar’s aims is to continue expanding the number of sites in which we work around the country. The goal over the next ten years is to operate at a total of 10 sites. As we currently operate in three landscapes, we are continuing to lead expeditions and evaluate new areas for future investment and program creation as we expand our site portfolio. This past September, Dr. Jacques Rakotondranary, Wildlife Madagascar’s Conservation Program Manager at La Mananara, and I flew to Fort Dauphin along the southeast coast for one such expedition.
Our focus on this mission was to evaluate the Tsitongambarika Protected Area (often referred to as TGK). Specifically, we were interested in the northernmost section of TGK, which is among the largest continuous blocks of lowland rainforest remaining in Madagascar. TGK is formally managed by Asity Madagascar, a Malagasy NGO and regional partner of Birdlife International, and their executive team was open to the idea of Wildlife Madagascar evaluating the Ampasy Valley of TGK for a potential partnership.
For me, the idea of working here would be somewhat of a full circle. Back in 2012, I arrived in Madagascar ready to begin my PhD fieldwork. I had already worked in the region and was planning on studying the behavioral ecology of the southern bamboo lemurs of the Mandena littoral forest; however, I had hoped to establish a comparative site in a larger, more continuous forest. I spent six months attempting to make this work, including approximately three months in the Ampasy Valley where I created a field research camp. Unfortunately, I was unable to get the project off the ground and decided instead to focus my entire PhD work on the bamboo lemurs of Mandena. As it turns out, some of the initial surveys we conducted at that time in Ampasy led to large investments in the area and a few years later, the creation of a large field station by Asity Madagascar.
The day we arrived in Fort Dauphin, the weather was windy but otherwise perfect: blue and sunny skies and it looked like we would have the perfect week. Unfortunately, weather along the coast, especially within the tropics, can change very quickly. The next day we woke up to heavy rains and strong winds. We purchased provisions that day, but with the continued downpour we had to push back our expedition to the Ampasy Valley of TGK. To access the valley, it is necessary to ford the river that meanders from the forest interior by foot, as the former bridge had been swept away. As the rains continued over the next couple of days and the Asity team based in the area updated us on the water-level situation, our outlook on visiting TGK looked dire.
Eventually, three days later, the rains subsided and the water decreased enough to make the trip possible. We departed Fort Dauphin around 7 a.m. Back in 2012, when I was regularly traveling to this site, it would take between three to four hours to reach the town of Iaboakoho, and then another three-hour hike to Ampasy. I quickly learned that the RN12a, the national road that heads north along the coast from Fort Dauphin, is almost entirely paved! We probably could’ve made it to Iaboakoho in two hours if not for delays at the two river crossings which require a bac, manual chain ferry. However, the construction crews are currently preparing these areas to construct bridges over these rivers, so it might soon be possible to make the trip in one and a half hours, maybe less!
Once we reached Iaboakoho, we were greeted by the local Asity team and some of my previous guides from 2012. It was incredible to see them again, and we even spent some time looking at old photos from those months I spent there over 12 years ago. After this joyous homecoming, we loaded all of our gear into the Asity fiberglass canoes and made our way up the river. The trip took approximately one hour until we reached the edge of the old village of Tanambazaha, the site of an old logging camp from many decades before. It is here that we had to disembark because of steep cascades and walk the final 1.8 km into Ampasy to reach the field station.
Left: Ampasy Feld Station. Right: Dr. Jacques and Tim with the Asity Madagascar team
That evening, we went on a night hike in search of lemurs, but the heavy rains returned. Still, we pushed on and climbed the slippery mountain paths, and despite the rain, we managed to see a few groups of southern woolly lemurs. In fact, we saw a large group of 5 individuals, including a newborn baby that couldn’t have been more than 3 weeks old. It was an incredible sight! While the rains made it difficult to locate lemurs, who were probably huddled up and waiting until the rains lightened up before foraging, they seemingly brought the entire amphibian diversity of the area to life. There were terrestrial and tree frogs everywhere, and their raucous chorus rivaled that of the heavy rains!
Rains continued through the next day, but that didn’t deter us from carrying out our work and evaluating the site. We trekked along the northern trails into the interior of the Ampasy Valley. In 2012, much of the low-lying areas were slashed and burned for agriculture, but now these areas are slowly returning to nature. It was good to see the positive impact of Asity in this area. Many of the very large trees that I remembered being impressed with back in 2012 still remained along this trail, giving me hope for this area.
The valley is well-known for the many streams that flow into the river, and each seems to have multiple waterfalls. There are several unique waterfalls of varying heights and structures, but none are quite as impressive as the large cascade a couple of kilometers into the valley interior.
Unfortunately, though there are seven known lemur species present in TGK, we only ever saw the southern woolly lemurs and the Tanosy mouse lemurs. The largest lemur from this area is the red collared brown lemur, which historically has been heavily hunted due to their size. We never saw or heard any during our time, but colleagues who worked here a couple of months before our visit had collected data on a few individuals, so there is hope for this species still hanging on. The forest block itself is large, so there are reasons to think that large lemur groups may still exist further towards the interior and that with help, those populations may slowly expand to the peripheral areas. Despite the lack of lemurs, we still saw many interesting reptile and amphibian species, including chameleons and mantella frogs.
Though some previously cleared areas were rebounding, we did observe some logging occurring within the park. This is incredibly concerning, especially since these illegal efforts were being carried out very close to the field station. It is clear that there is an immediate need for maintaining a permanent presence at the field station and having team members work continuously with the forest patrol to deter these activities.
Of course, it had to be beautiful blue skies and sunny the morning we departed. Without the constant rain and cloud cover, we could now clearly see the back of the Ampasy Valley within the interior of TGK. Before leaving, Jacques and I helped out with Asity’s reforestation efforts by each planting a tree from their nursery, and if we expand our conservation efforts in this area, we may be planting many more trees in the near future.
