Chris Birkinshaw
@chrisbirkinshaw.bsky.social
Botanist and conservationist working in Madagascar - sharing information and thoughts about the country's unique and threatened flora and fauna (and how it might be conserved).
Madagascar has some 40 species of native yams. One called bemandry (meaning the big sleeper) (or Dioscorea bemandry to scientists) has huge horizontal tubers (hence the name). It grows is dry habitats where is is sought and eaten raw as a source of clean water by those working away from home.
August 21, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Madagascar has some 40 species of native yams. One called bemandry (meaning the big sleeper) (or Dioscorea bemandry to scientists) has huge horizontal tubers (hence the name). It grows is dry habitats where is is sought and eaten raw as a source of clean water by those working away from home.
Breath-taking view of the spiny thicket on the Vohidava-Betsimilaho Massif in the Mandrare Valley, home to a healthy population of ring-tailed lemur
July 20, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Breath-taking view of the spiny thicket on the Vohidava-Betsimilaho Massif in the Mandrare Valley, home to a healthy population of ring-tailed lemur
Strong winds brought almost unstoppable wild fires to the Malagasy Highlands around Manankazo - huge areas of savanna and some forests burnt.
July 4, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Strong winds brought almost unstoppable wild fires to the Malagasy Highlands around Manankazo - huge areas of savanna and some forests burnt.
Like all Malagasy dry deciduous forests, the Bongolava forest have suffered enormously in past decades from the cultivation of maize and black eyed beans. Now NGO FBM is trying to restore forest to some abandoned plots - target 75 ha by Dec. 2025. @mobotgarden.bsky.social Thanks Darwin Initiative.
May 3, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Like all Malagasy dry deciduous forests, the Bongolava forest have suffered enormously in past decades from the cultivation of maize and black eyed beans. Now NGO FBM is trying to restore forest to some abandoned plots - target 75 ha by Dec. 2025. @mobotgarden.bsky.social Thanks Darwin Initiative.
Major expt to inform best practice for forest restoration at 3 locations #Madagascar. Survival/growth of 1000s of seedlings of native trees compared under various treatments: addition of biochar, use of tree guard; addition of clay soil; use of Melaleuca plant container. @mobotgarden.bsky.social
April 8, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Major expt to inform best practice for forest restoration at 3 locations #Madagascar. Survival/growth of 1000s of seedlings of native trees compared under various treatments: addition of biochar, use of tree guard; addition of clay soil; use of Melaleuca plant container. @mobotgarden.bsky.social
Trail camera confirms presence of the fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus major) at Agnakatiky Forest SE Madagascar. Thanks @worldlandtrust.org
April 5, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Trail camera confirms presence of the fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus major) at Agnakatiky Forest SE Madagascar. Thanks @worldlandtrust.org
In the last post I wrote about using Melaleuca bark cylinders as biodegradable containers for tree seedlings as alternative to polyethylene sachets. Here seedlings of the same species are grown side by side using the two options. Performance is rather better in the former compared to the latter.
March 28, 2025 at 2:49 PM
In the last post I wrote about using Melaleuca bark cylinders as biodegradable containers for tree seedlings as alternative to polyethylene sachets. Here seedlings of the same species are grown side by side using the two options. Performance is rather better in the former compared to the latter.
In #Madagascar reforestation projects litter the landscape with thousands of polyethylene sachets. But trees grow well in simple biodegradable tubes made from the bark of the alien and aggressively invasive tree Melaleuca quinqueinervia. Thanks Howell Conservation Trust. @mobotgarden.bsky.social
March 24, 2025 at 5:28 AM
In #Madagascar reforestation projects litter the landscape with thousands of polyethylene sachets. But trees grow well in simple biodegradable tubes made from the bark of the alien and aggressively invasive tree Melaleuca quinqueinervia. Thanks Howell Conservation Trust. @mobotgarden.bsky.social
Bongolava Forest Corridor #Madagascar is highly threatened by shifting cultivation and wild fires. But the association Fikambanana Bongolava Maintso is trying to reverse the depressing trend of forest loss by restoring 75 ha. Seeds of a native tree species collected, propagated and planted.
March 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Bongolava Forest Corridor #Madagascar is highly threatened by shifting cultivation and wild fires. But the association Fikambanana Bongolava Maintso is trying to reverse the depressing trend of forest loss by restoring 75 ha. Seeds of a native tree species collected, propagated and planted.
Goodness restoration of native forest is hard in the arid SE of #Madagascar. Maybe these home-made shade structures can increase survival of young plants. Thanks UK Darwin Initiative Biodiversity Challenge Funds.
February 15, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Goodness restoration of native forest is hard in the arid SE of #Madagascar. Maybe these home-made shade structures can increase survival of young plants. Thanks UK Darwin Initiative Biodiversity Challenge Funds.
The flowers of many Hibiscus can verge on the vulgar but this, from Hibiscus cameronii, Ankafobe, #Madagascar is true class.
February 15, 2025 at 8:24 AM
The flowers of many Hibiscus can verge on the vulgar but this, from Hibiscus cameronii, Ankafobe, #Madagascar is true class.
Fixed point photos are a useful tool to communicate the progress for forest restoration. Here are two photos of the same view in a restoration plot at Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika Forest #Madagascar. First in 2021, second in 2024. Slow progress, but progress nevertheless!
February 13, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Fixed point photos are a useful tool to communicate the progress for forest restoration. Here are two photos of the same view in a restoration plot at Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika Forest #Madagascar. First in 2021, second in 2024. Slow progress, but progress nevertheless!
@mobotgarden.bsky.social supports reconstructive restoration of native forest at 10 site in #Madagascar. Outputs in 2024:
354,600 seedlings produced
270,637 young plants out-planted
326 different species of native woody plants propagated
84.47 ha out-planted to launch restoration.
354,600 seedlings produced
270,637 young plants out-planted
326 different species of native woody plants propagated
84.47 ha out-planted to launch restoration.
January 27, 2025 at 10:24 AM
@mobotgarden.bsky.social supports reconstructive restoration of native forest at 10 site in #Madagascar. Outputs in 2024:
354,600 seedlings produced
270,637 young plants out-planted
326 different species of native woody plants propagated
84.47 ha out-planted to launch restoration.
354,600 seedlings produced
270,637 young plants out-planted
326 different species of native woody plants propagated
84.47 ha out-planted to launch restoration.
Can introduced wild pigs sometimes have a positive impact on native biodiversity #Madagascar? Camera traps at Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika clearly show that pig foraging locations are favorite feeding locations for the near threatened Madagascar Crested Ibity and White-fronted Rail
January 10, 2025 at 5:38 AM
Can introduced wild pigs sometimes have a positive impact on native biodiversity #Madagascar? Camera traps at Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika clearly show that pig foraging locations are favorite feeding locations for the near threatened Madagascar Crested Ibity and White-fronted Rail
At Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika #Madagascar we aims to restore 200 ha of native forest in 5 years: in 2024 126,014 young trees of 40 native tree species were produced. Thanks @worldlandtrust.org
January 8, 2025 at 7:49 AM
At Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika #Madagascar we aims to restore 200 ha of native forest in 5 years: in 2024 126,014 young trees of 40 native tree species were produced. Thanks @worldlandtrust.org
A workshop of the Madagascar Forest Restoration Practitioners Network was hosted by FMH yesterday with the attendance of 72 people. Lots of exchange including the creation a map showing the native tree species performing best in restoration at different locations in #Madagascar. Thanks @UKBCFs
December 11, 2024 at 1:24 PM
A workshop of the Madagascar Forest Restoration Practitioners Network was hosted by FMH yesterday with the attendance of 72 people. Lots of exchange including the creation a map showing the native tree species performing best in restoration at different locations in #Madagascar. Thanks @UKBCFs
When rain falls in the subarid Mandrare River Valley in southern #Madagascar it is often remarkably localized. Three simple new weather stations are being set up around the Vohidava-Betsimilaho protected area to better understand weather patterns.
December 8, 2024 at 2:09 PM
When rain falls in the subarid Mandrare River Valley in southern #Madagascar it is often remarkably localized. Three simple new weather stations are being set up around the Vohidava-Betsimilaho protected area to better understand weather patterns.
Several substantial areas of spiny thicket in the Mandrare River Valley #Madagascar will be flooded if the Malagasy Government/World Bank dam project proceeds. Audiomoth are being installed to help identify which species will be impacted.
December 8, 2024 at 2:03 PM
Several substantial areas of spiny thicket in the Mandrare River Valley #Madagascar will be flooded if the Malagasy Government/World Bank dam project proceeds. Audiomoth are being installed to help identify which species will be impacted.
Restoration of #Madagascar’s much abused but iconic spiny thicket is very challenging in the subarid conditions. Experiment under way to test which native trees perform best. Here young plants being habituated to sun before out-planting. 17 tree species are being tested. @Mobot_Research
December 5, 2024 at 11:54 AM
Restoration of #Madagascar’s much abused but iconic spiny thicket is very challenging in the subarid conditions. Experiment under way to test which native trees perform best. Here young plants being habituated to sun before out-planting. 17 tree species are being tested. @Mobot_Research
Area of artisanal beryllium mining in the Behara-Tranomara Protected Area in #Madagascar. Hard, dangerous, hot work for little profit but crops have failed for 6 years so little other choice.
December 2, 2024 at 1:22 PM
Area of artisanal beryllium mining in the Behara-Tranomara Protected Area in #Madagascar. Hard, dangerous, hot work for little profit but crops have failed for 6 years so little other choice.
Malagasy vanilla is an introduced species but #Madagascar hosts 9 endemic species including this one (V. madagascariensis) - locally abundant in the Behara-Tranomaro protected area.
December 2, 2024 at 1:13 PM
Malagasy vanilla is an introduced species but #Madagascar hosts 9 endemic species including this one (V. madagascariensis) - locally abundant in the Behara-Tranomaro protected area.
So impressed by camera traps as method to improve faunal inventories. This image is the first evidence of Fossa fossana (VU) living in Agnalazaha Forst #Madagascar. Thanks Claude Ralazampirenena.
November 16, 2024 at 12:27 PM
So impressed by camera traps as method to improve faunal inventories. This image is the first evidence of Fossa fossana (VU) living in Agnalazaha Forst #Madagascar. Thanks Claude Ralazampirenena.