Community Based Conservation: Madagascar Sustainability Initiative

This course in community-based conservation through the lens of Madagascar represents a partnership between Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) and Washington University in Saint Louis. The course is designed to support MBG's Community Based Conservation Program sites, while building student understanding of challenges at the intersection of rural agricultural subsistence communities, climate change, and biodiversity "hot spots." The course involves preparatory learning during the WUSTL spring semester and ongoing communication and collaboration with Malagasy community representatives during this period. An additional lab credit option entails interactive research project deployment and monitoring on the ground in Madagascar during a summer window. MBG has been facilitating conservation work in Madagascar for over 40 years. Among these initiatives is a Community Based Conservation Program (CBCP) in Mahabo, a ten-community commune in southeastern Madagascar within a rare forest ecosystem. This commune is the most mature of MBG's eleven conservation sites, each of which share similar challenges for both biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing. Over several years MBG has established trusted relationships with rural Malagasy community members, building cooperation on community-specific, grassroots conservation efforts with indigenous communities. Such cooperation can be undermined by the forces of poverty, which compel communities to extract resources unsustainably from the sensitive forest. Therefore, the community-based conservation approach integrates a full understanding of the need for economic stability and health priorities alongside conservation of flora and fauna. Program targets range from forest conservation and use to nutrition, health, food security, clean water, and education. This course integrates study of biodiversity, poverty, and community-based conservation principles with research design, professional teamwork, and cultural competency skills. Thr
Course Attributes: AS LCD; AS SSC; FA SSC; AR SSC; EN S

Community Based Conservation: Madagascar Sustainability Initiative

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 3060

Section 01

Section A