We were lucky enough to grab a chat with Susie Phillips this week. Susie is a second year Conservation Biology & Ecology student, and she embarked upon an expedition to Madagascar over Summer which we were curious to learn more about…
What were you trying to achieve in Madagascar?
The team and I were aiming to create a species list for the Loholoka forest, on the south east coast of Madagascar. The forest had never been surveyed apart from a two day visit by DBCAM (the in-country organisation we were working with) and due to its unique geography there was a high chance of discovering a new species! We were also hoping our expedition would have long lasting impacts for conservation in the area by involving local people to assess the use of the forest for sustainable management.
Did you get the results that you had hoped for?
The expedition was successful in completing the species list for the area however, we were shocked to find that the forest was so fragmented and that only 4 species of lemurs were seen! It really just proves how fast the pace of environmental destruction is occurring in Madagascar! We are currently writing up the report and hope that our findings will be useful to a number of conservation organisations including DBCAM so watch this space!
What was the highlight of the trip?
The whole trip was an incredible experience as clichéd as that sounds! Personally the highlight was probably the first time we saw a wolley lemur with a baby – we had been trekking for a while through the dark and I was so exhausted and totally losing the ability to walk in a straight line and suddenly we saw two pairs of eyes shining out of the tree above us, we were lucky enough to watch the pair for a good 15 mins before they decided to move on! So cute!
Are you involved in Expedition Society?
Just before we set off on the expedition I joined the committee as ‘Fxpeditions officer’ helping with the running of the overseas chapter of the society, I also really enjoyed helping with the local walks and socials that we run around Falmouth too! Most recently I have just been appointed Director of Fxpeditons so I now oversee all of the cool expeditions we run, liase with board of directors to secure funding and generally make sure we keep everything running smoothly!
Are you planning any more expeditions?
I’ve just been accepted onto the team for Ferae Vietnam 2016 which is an exciting opportunity to survey for the extremely endangered pangolin, again with a long term conservation focus. I am also hoping to organise another expedition to Loholoka maybe with a focus on social science. Last weekend I also attended RGS Explore a brilliant two day expedition planning workshop which has given me some great ideas for these expeditions and the society as a whole!
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
If I had infinite funds I would go everywhere! I’ve always wanted to travel down the Amazon as I’d love to see giant otters in the wild! I also think it would be incredible to go to some of the unexplored regions of Eastern Russia/Siberia although it would be bloomin’ freezing!