Advertisers

Articles & Features

ROUND THE WORLD PLANNER

Download our FREE round the world planner. Everything you'll ever need to sort your trip out!

Find out more >>

Interview with... Will Proto, conservation volunteer

> one > Articles & Features

Madagascar interview

Name: Will Proto
Age: 24
Occupation: Marine biologist

Hi Will! Now then, why did you decide to go to Madagascar?
I decided to go to Madagascar as I was trying to broaden my experience in field-based research. I wanted some solid experience to put me in a good position to apply for jobs working as a field biologist. Whilst researching various options I came across the research expeditions offered by Blue Ventures. As Madagascar is famous for its rich biodiversity, I reasoned it would be an amazing place to build up my experience of working in the field.

Obviously, my reasons for going to Madagascar weren’t just about work! I was really keen to explore a country with such a diverse and interesting culture. I love travelling and many parts of Madagascar are way off the tourist routes, so it represented a great opportunity to really see a country.

Did you know much about the country before you went there? How did your first impressions of Madagascar match your expectations?
My background is in biology and I thought I was familiar with much of Madagascar’s wildlife. In some ways my expectations were exceeded: the flora and fauna were far more unique and diverse than I thought. However in other ways I was surprised, there appears to be quite prominent levels of habitat destruction. Although much work is now being done to reverse this trend and protect what remains, I wasn’t aware of the scale of the problem.

My knowledge of the Malagasy people and their culture came mainly from reading guide-books in the weeks before my departure. The first impressions met my high expectations. But as is often then case with regards to culture, the truly fascinating experiences appear and accumulate as you learn more through spending time in a region.

Madagascar is famous for its amazing variety of wildlife. Did you meet any cool creatures?
I encountered so many ‘cool’ creatures it would be impossible to recount them all. On land I think the most memorable had to be the famous lemurs, they were really cool. In the sea, it is even harder to say. Diving alongside hawksbill turtles was pretty cool. Then so was spotting humpback whales and spinner dolphins from the boat. The coral itself was really cool and so were the hundreds of species of reef fish living around it. I could go on...

We hear a lot about Madagascar’s animal inhabitants, but what about its people? Tell us a bit about their culture and how they live...
It is a very difficult culture to summarise due to the complexity. However it is this complexity that makes it a fascinating place to spend time. The country of Madagascar is made up from many different tribes, each with its own dialect and traditions. Using very broad and generalising terms it is possible to summarise the differences and similarities found in each tribe. For example, the Merina tribe is located in the central highlands around the capital city, Antananarivo, and has a reputation for being fairly wealthy. The Vezo people live in the coastal areas of the southwest and consequently fishing forms a big part of local life.

The use of the word tribes can be misleading. Many would assume this to be associated with primitive ways of life. Whilst much of Madagascar is very rural and isolated with little development, many of the larger towns are quite ‘westernised’.

In the countryside the way of life is basic and frequently dictated by the surrounding terrain. Those on the coast tend to rely heavily on fishing as a means of food and income, whereas inland, cattle-rearing or rice production are common ways of life.

Despite the cultural differences between tribes, I found that I was made very welcome everywhere I travelled. As long as you make some effort to understand and respect local customs you will find you are warmly greeted. Unlike some developing countries there seemed to be very little threatening behaviour, I always felt safe.

Tell us about the area where the project is based - what’s it like?
The Blue Ventures field site in Madagascar is just on the fringes of a small village called Andavadoaka on the coast in the southwest. It is a truly breathtaking stretch of coast. White sandy beaches stretching for miles with the most beautiful coloured sea in front.

Just inland, the area is dotted with strikingly strange trees called baobabs. The species local to Andavadoaka is only found in this particular region, nowhere else in Madagascar let alone the world!

The project involves a lot of diving - had you done much diving before?
I hadn’t done any diving before. Actually that is a lie, I did a 20-minute trial dive in a swimming pool in the UK before I went. Just to check I was comfortable with the sensation of diving.

Tell us about your first experience of diving off Madagascar - what did you see / feel / think?
Having never really dived before it was an amazing experience. For the first few dives I was mostly thinking about all the things that you must do to dive well, like correct breathing techniques and controlling my buoyancy etc. It sounds very clichéd and like something out of a dive manual, but as soon as you get used to being underwater a whole new world really opens up to you.

Tell us about the marine life you encountered in the course of the project - what were the most interesting or beautiful species you came across?
Coral reefs are such diverse ecosystems it is hard not to be interested in everything. Some of the most interesting and beautiful organisms were the corals. The range of colours and shapes is staggering.

But of course you can’t overlook the hundreds of species of fish that live amongst the reefs. Following many months of debating and deliberating and changing my mind on a daily basis, I think I finally settled on the yellow spotted puffer fish as being my favourite fish!

So, tell us about a typical day on the project...
Typically, you would either be on the early-morning diving crew or the mid-morning. If you were the early-morning it meant getting up at sunrise and getting out on the water as soon as possible. The sea was mostly like glass at this time in the morning, which made for fantastic diving. The dive would be spent carrying out the underwater research. Then it was back for breakfast and the mid-morning dive team would go out.

Following breakfast the tasks could be varied, from manual site maintenance to entering all the data collected on the morning's dive, and occasionally time for a quick sleep or play on the beach!

Usually we would all eat lunch together and then if the conditions were suitable the early-morning team would go out for a second research dive in the afternoon. Once all the dive kit had been cleaned and stored away everyone attended a daily meeting, discussing any problems and all the advances in research that had been made during the day.

Dinner is quite a long event with people sitting around the table and chatting and playing games long after the food is gone. During the week, the regular diving and hard work takes a hard toll on most people, so early nights are common.

Tell us about the social side of the project - did you meet some nice folks? What did you get up to in your spare time?
They were all horrible and I hated them all. Not really, I met some great like-minded people and we all got on really well. The social side of the project was a big plus. On my project there people from many different countries and backgrounds, which was great.

Spare time could be spent in many ways, from playing football on the beach to exploring further up and down the coast. There are some amazing coves and cliffs just an hour's walk away. Some people used their spare time to relax and catch up on sleep.

Did you get much chance to travel around Madagascar? If so, what were your favourite places that you visited?
I was lucky in that I did get to see other parts of the country. Not including Andavadoaka, my favourite part of the country is probably the southeast. There is amazing rainforest and a spectacular coastline. It’s all based around a town called Fort Dauphin, which is a good base to reach out and explore the surrounding areas. If you’re going to Madagascar it is a great place to visit.

What is your number one favourite memory from your time in Madagascar?
Way too difficult to answer. You can see how I ramble on and on when talking about Madagascar. I would keep you here for years trying to decide on my favourite memory!

Further info