Situated at the beautiful lake-side camp of Lanirano in Fort Dauphin, you will receive a detailed orientation about Madagascar, the Anosy region, local customs, and lessons in the Malagasy language. Azafady specialists, sometimes joined by staff from PBZT, will give you a detailed introduction to the work that you will be doing over the next four/eight weeks and will lead a series of lectures and workshops addressing topics such as "Primate Surveying Techniques", "Primate Behaviour", "Botanical Surveying Techniques", and "How Captive Breeding Aids Conservation" There will be a visit to the nearby Nahampoana Reserve to allow you to get up close to three of the species of lemur you are likely to encounter in the bush - Verreaux's sifaka, ring tailed lemurs, and brown lemurs.

These weeks will be spent in the fragmented littoral forests north of Sainte Luce (Fort Dauphin region). Littoral forest (coastal forest) is one of Madagascar’s most endangered habitats. The aim of Lemur Venture research in this area is to study the impact of fragmentation on lemur populations and also demonstrate the value and uniqueness of each individual fragment and hence emphasise the worth of protecting all, or as many as possible, of the remaining fragments. Volunteers will carry out transect surveys as part of a fragmentation study to compare relative primate abundance, floristic diversity and human disturbance in the different forest fragments. Research will focus on lemur species including the collared brown lemur (Eulemur collaris), woolly lemur (Avahi laniger) and the brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus). There may also be an opportunity to spend a few days participating in Azafady’s reforestation programme or carrying out environmental education with local communities.

There will be a break of three to four days back at Lanirano, to enable you to write up your work, do your post, emailing, dining out if you wish, shopping, and having a break from the routine of the bush.

Madagascar’s spiny forests are characterized by their desert like climate yet support an extraordinary array of flora and fauna. These weeks will be spent working in Ifotaka, a lesser known site in southern Madagascar’s spiny desert region. In particular, Lemur Venture is privileged to be working in the forests of Matsandry - these forests have been designated one of Madagascar's New Protected Areas but have never been researched before. The aim of Lemur Venture research in this region is to evaluate the biological importance of the area and to create base line data for the site. Volunteers will also carry out research on the diet and feeding behaviour of Verreaux’s sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi). In addition, ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) and smaller nocturnal species can occasionally be seen. There may also be some work with local communities – carrying out interviews with local people about their use of natural resources and dependency on the forest.