Opwall Dissertation research in Madagascar

I will be travelling to Mahajanga and the Mahamavo forests in North-West Madagascar for seven and a half weeks, where I will carry out research for my dissertation which is going to be based on species distribution modelling of Malagasy fauna and flora; I will be linking spatially referenced records of species occurrence, with maps of environmental variables (e.g climate and land use) to create a statistical model of the relationship between a species and its environment such as its ecological niche. This data will be used to output habitat suitability maps using GIS; which can be used to communicate conservation messages as this spectacular country’s unique biodiversity needs to be protected especially in front of a warming world. The expedition runs from the 18^th of June to the 28^th of July 2017, I will be leaving the UK on the 15^th of June as it takes a few days to travel to the campsite. After my expedition, I will arrive back in the capital; Antananarivo, on the 29^th of July where I will meet with my family to explore more of Madagascar until the 6^th of August; this section will be paid for myself, as it is not part of my expedition.

The academic benefits of this expedition are that I will have the opportunity to produce a unique and exciting dissertation through the research I will be carrying out in Madagascar. I will learn many skills and techniques through the full training that is provided in data handling and modelling procedures, which are very useful skills to acquire to make myself more employable in the future. I hope that this trip will inspire me to carryout further research either in the form of an MSc or PhD in the field of biodiversity conservation.

Your donation will go towards the expedition costs that will include; equipment, resources and the chance to work with an awesome research team!