Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold

On the morning of June 1, we set off from Sambava down the road towards Marojejy National Park.  Faye and I were joined by Désiré, Jackson, and Lanto for this trip.  Erik accompanied us to the information center and also walked with us down the first part of the trail.  The walk from the visitor center to the park entrance took us through several villages.  We got to see a tree nursery supported in part by the Duke Lemur Center's SAVA Conservation Initiative, as well as the place where a local alcoholic drink called betsa-betsa is made.  Along the way, many children called out "Bonjour, vazaha!" (or "Hello, white person!") to us, which felt a bit strange but was meant in a completely non-derogatory way.

A view of Marojejy National Park from a distance.  The summit is in the clouds.

Almost as soon as we got into the park, there was a dramatic change of environment.  Instead of deforested agricultural land, we were in the middle of primary lowland rainforest.  Unlike Antanetiambo, this forest has never been cleared before, so the plant and animal diversity is even greater.  As we proceeded deeper and deeper into the reserve, we climbed higher and higher.  This meant that the forest around us changed into mid-altitude rainforest, high-altitude rainforest, and montane scrub over the course of the trip.  Each habitat has its own distinct feel in terms of the flora and fauna found there.  For example, the higher you go, the trees get smaller and the moss becomes more plentiful.

One of the primary objectives of the trip was to download climate data.  Research into how climate change is affecting Madagascar is an active area of study, but most of the temperature and humidity data comes from cities rather than primary forest.  Marojejy has five climate stations at different altitudes, and the DLC is downloading this data every six months.  We had the chance to help Lanto with this.  A Malagasy PhD student will use this data to analyze how climate change affects the moss in Marojejy National Park, so it will be interesting to see what we can learn from this data.

Faye and I GPS marking the climate station © 2014 Lanto Andrianandrasana

Marojejy has three main camps that are used by visitors and researchers: Camp 1 (or Camp Mantella, after a type of frog), Camp 2 (or Camp Marojejya, after an endemic palm), and Camp 3 (or Camp Simpona, after the silky sifaka lemurs).  We stayed in each of these camps over the course of the trip, and each was in a slightly different type of environment.  By far, my favorite was Camp 2, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life.  A small mountain stream runs over the rocks, and a green, rainforested peak rises up and towers above you.  It was really a breathtaking sight that pictures cannot fully capture.

Me at Camp Marojejya  © 2014 Faye Goodwin

I was of course thrilled that we were able to see so many amazing animals in the park.  There were many brightly colored frogs and lizards, including quite a few chameleons.  We even got to see Brookesia minima, the smallest chameleon in the world.  I have no idea how Jackson found it; he ran ahead, and when we caught up with him, he was sitting next to a tiny twig on the ground that turned out to be the chameleon.  Other amazing animals we saw include the leaf-tailed gecko, the red kingfisher, and a spider that throws nets on its prey.  Needless to say, though, the best animals we saw were lemurs.

Brookesia minima, the smallest chameleon in the world

Faye and I saw five species of lemur in Marojejy, each on multiple occasions.  The park's most common lemur is the white-fronted brown lemur (Eulemur albifrons), which have grey fur and (in males) white heads.  Twice at Camp 3, we caught a brief glimpse of a pair of red-bellied lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer).  They have reddish-brown fur and black tails, and this is one of the only monogamous lemur species.  One night, we got a long, close look at a mouse lemur (Microcebus sp.), which we had already seen at Antantetiambo.  This one sat still and stared at us for quite a while.  Near Camp 1, we also spent quite a while watching the northern bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur occidentalis), the other species we have seen on Désiré's reserve.  Erik wanted us to have the chance to observe them in Marojejy, since watching these habituated animals lets us practice for Antanetiambo and become more familiar with their behavior.  We tried to identify males and females, which turned out to be really difficult.

Northern bamboo lemur near Camp 1

My favorite lemur to watch, and the flagship species of Marojejy, is the silky sifaka (Propithecus candidus).  Most of what we know about this species comes from the research of Erik and his team in Marojejy.  Désiré was also very knowledgeable about them, since he worked for many years as a guide in this national park.  They have soft, white fur, sometimes with darker patches on their back and head.  Their faces are either black, pink, or a mottled combination of the two.  Sifakas are vertical-clingers-and-leapers, which means that they keep their body in an upright position as they bound between the trees.  Watching them, it really looked like they were flying.  We spent several hours watching them near Camp 2, and we also found a few more groups over the course of the trip.  Once, on the way to Camp 3, Désiré stopped and told us to look up.  Less than two meters over our head was a silky sifaka, looking right at us.  Although it quickly fled, it was an amazing moment.  At another point, we found an individual that Désiré and Lanto, recognized: Pinkface.  This male had previously been evicted from his group by another male, but he has since managed to find and join another group.  Seeing these animals in the wild was a truly incredible experience.  There are no silky sifakas in captivity, and this Critically Endangered species may only number in the hundreds or thousands.  The only way to see them is to travel to northeastern Madagascar and venture into the primary forest of Marojejy or one of several other reserves.  I am glad that by visiting this park, I was helping the local guides, cooks, and porters make a living in a way that requires the preservation of Madagascar's unique biodiversity.

Silky sifaka in the high-altitude forest

I also got to go to the summit of Marojejy Massif, the park's highest point at 2,132 m above sea level.  Unfortunately, Faye was feeling ill and was unable to come, but Désiré and Jackson joined me in the hike to the top.  Even though the trail was only two kilometers, it took three hours due because it was so steep.  Oftentimes, we had to use tree roots to pull ourselves up.  Jackson had asked if I wanted to watch the sunrise from the top; I didn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so we set out at 2:30 in the morning.  The sun was rising just as we made it to the summit.  We were essentially in a cloud, so you couldn't see very far, but I still thought it was an amazing view.  The clouds stretched our beneath us, and as the sun rose over them, they turned a bright orange.  For the first time since my plane landed in Antananarivo, I felt cold due to the wind and elevation.

Sunrise from the summit

After Marojejy, we returned to Andapa to continue working there.  We made it back just in time to help with the fish harvest.  The Duke Lemur Center supports a local fish pond as a sustainable source of food.  We hope that by raising local fish, we can decrease the incidence of bushmeat and deforestation so that places like Marojejy are not lost forever.  The fish raised are Paratilapia polleni ("fony" in Malagasy), a locally endemic species which had been believed to be extinct at one point.  The fish pond was drained, and all the fish were then caught by hand.  The adult fish were sold at market, the subadults were kept to repopulate the pond, and the juveniles were put into the local river system to restore the wild population.  All in all, 3,808 fish were collected (mostly juveniles).  We helped with the photo and video documentation and record keeping.

Fish harvest © 2014 Faye Goodwin

The day after the fish harvest, there was a big ceremony related to the fish harvest.  Many people, including local officials, gathered in front of Désiré's house for the "repoissonment", or release of the fish into the river.  Faye and I got to help put some of them into the water, where they will hopefully replenish the streams.  After this, everyone proceeded down the road to the community of Marovato.  Hundreds of people gathered as speeches were made and local performers sang about the environment.  Hopefully, this will garner local support for the fish farming project.

The Mayor of Marovato, Désiré, Faye, and Me © 2014 Erik Patel

Right now, Faye and I are back in Sambava.  We will download the GPS data we have gathered about Antanetiambo's trails, botanical plots, and lemur sightings.  Also, we will create an updated brochure about Antanetiambo.  Since it is one of Madagascar's only nature reserves created entirely by a local resident, it is a unique place that really deserves more publicity.  Once we have finished in Sambava, we will be back to Antanetiambo to observe the bamboo lemurs.

Lemur-watching © 2014 Faye Goodwin