Wildlife Madagascar is excited to welcome back Nagarathna Balakrishna, a PhD candidate at The Ohio State University, to La Mananara for another field season of research.
Nagarathna’s work focuses on how ecotourism influences the behavior, stress, and health of the Critically Endangered indri. Over the coming months, she will work alongside Wildlife Madagascar researchers Ravaka Ratsitoharana and Miora Ramanantoanina, collecting behavioral observations and non-invasive fecal samples to better understand how tourism activity may affect these remarkable animals.
La Mananara is home to at least 10 lemur species, and hosting international and Malagasy student researchers is a key part of how Wildlife Madagascar generates the scientific data needed to guide long-term conservation strategy at the site. The findings from Nagarathna’s research will help inform science-based ecotourism practices that support both wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism in Madagascar.
Wildlife Madagascar looks forward to another successful field season!