Conservation History, Science and Narratives in Madagascar (2025-2026)

The conservation of endangered ecosystems is a central global challenge, particularly in regions such as Madagascar, one of the world’s most biologically diverse places and also one of its poorest nations. Conventional conservation narratives have often attributed environmental degradation primarily to local land use practices, yet emerging scholarship highlights how colonial histories and external conservation frameworks have shaped both ecological change and the stories told about it. 

This project explored how narratives about biodiversity loss and conservation in Madagascar have been constructed and how they might be reimagined to better incorporate historical context and the perspectives of Malagasy communities. The team brought together faculty and students from across the arts, humanities and sciences to examine the history of environmentalism and conservation storytelling. Students traced global and Madagascar-specific conservation histories across pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial contexts while developing practices for more inclusive and community-centered conservation narratives.

A key component of the project involved fieldwork in Madagascar conducted during summer 2025. Team members conducted interviews with individuals involved in conservation efforts, including practitioners working in villages, national parks and community reserves. 

After returning, each member of the project team was paired with one or two Malagasy partners. Through a series of Zoom conversations, students collaborated with these participants to co-write personal conservation narratives. These stories were compiled into a collaboratively written and designed book produced by the team. The English-language manuscript and layout have been completed, with a Malagasy translation underway so that the finished volume can be shared with participants and communities in Madagascar as well as audiences in the United States.

Timing

Summer 2025 – Spring 2026

Team Outputs

Interview materials and narrative documentation from conservation practitioners and community members in Madagascar

Collaborative student-authored conservation stories developed through multiple Zoom conversations with Malagasy participants

Photographs and field documentation from summer fieldwork in Madagascar

Manuscript in progress