Madagascar & Comoros team

Richard Lewis is Director of the Madagascar Programme. He joined Durrell in the late 1990’s to search for the Madagascar Teal. Together with colleagues Felix and Kassidi, they were the first to discover where the teal nested and he began Durrell’s wetland work which would later encompass freshwater turtles and from 2009, the Madagascar Pochard. Following a period coordinating research and then all conservation field activities. In 2008 Richard became Programme Director with responsibility for all Durrell’s endangered species projects in Madagascar.

Herizo Andrianandrasana began with Durrell as a student in 1998. He has been our Ecological Monitoring Coordinator since 2001, responsible for GIS mapping, ecological data monitoring, and matters related to Protected Areas. Hery received training at the ITC in 2004, and completed his MSc. With the University of Antananrivo in 2009. He was then chosen to attend Conservation Practices course led by the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University.

Jonah Ratsimbazafy received his PhD from the State University of New York in 2002. He is one of Madagascar’s leading primatologists and a past Vice President of the International Primatological Society. Jonah has been Durrell’s Training & Conservation Coordinator since 2002, responsible for building the conservation capacity of our staff and partners at Durrell-Madagascar sites. An Associate Professor at the University of Antananarivo, Jonah supervises student research projects and trains students to tackle current issues in conservation.

Bellarmin Ramahefasoa has been Manager of Durrell’s Nosivolo Project since 2005. The Nosivolo River, with 19 endemic fish species, is the most important site in Madagascar for fish conservation.  Due in large part to Bellarmin’s efforts, the Nosivolo is being designated as Madagascar’s first riverine Protected Area, and a Ramsar site. Bellarmin plays a crucial role in educating local people on the value of protecting the river and developing priority conservation actions.

Bary Jean Rasolonjatovo has been our Project Manager for Alaotra since 2004, which is the largest lake in Madagascar. Bary Jean is responsible for conservation of the Alaotran Gentle Lemur, the world’s only marsh dwelling primate. In order to reduce pressure on the remaining habitat, Bary Jean supports the creation of village associations and micro-projects for sustainable development. Each year, he organises an ecological competition where prizes are awarded to villages that sustainably manage marsh habitat.

Aina Ramamonjisoa joined Durrell in 2008 as Chief of Finance and Administration. He is responsible for overseeing all our Madagascar accounts, and liaising with our finance department at HQ in Jersey. He is also responsible for staffing issues in Madagascar. Aina holds two business degrees, in accounting and finance, and his experience working in the business sector and as a financial analyst make him a crucial member of the decision making team in Antananarivo.

Lala Jean Rakotoniaina has been working for Durrell since the beginning of our Programme in 1986, developing our unique philosophy of involving local villages in conservation. As Community Conservation Coordinator, Lala Jean has created more than 100 community associations, and trained them in sustainable natural resource management. Lala Jean’s knowledge, and respect for Malagasy culture facilitates the integration of local traditions within our conservation projects. Lala Jean was named a Conservation Hero by Disney in 2007.

Lance Woolaver joined the Madagascar Programme in 2009 as the Scientific Coordinator where he is responsible for conservation research in Madagascar. Lance has had a long history with Durrell, attending ITC courses in 1997 as Wildlife Preservation Canada’s New Noah student, working with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation and even spending a year in Madagascar surveying teal and narrow-striped mongoose for us. Lance has also worked with California Condors, Kakapo, and Ridgway’s Hawk.

Ony Rabearivololona has been our REPC Project Manager since 2008. REPC or “Réseau des Educateurs et Professionnels de la Conservation à Madagascar” is a consortium between DWCT, Conservation International, the American Museum of Natural History and Wildlife Conservation Society which aims to provide Malagasy professionals with the tools to tackle conservation challenges.

Hasina Randriamanampisoa began working for Durrell in 1993, helping to develop our administrative framework. In 1996, he accepted new responsibilities as Communications and Logistics Coordinator. Hasina is responsible for liaising with our governmental partners, dealing with legislative issues, and for coordinating all media activities. Hasina is an excellent folk guitarist, using this talent to produce entertaining education films on Durrell’s conservation activities in Madagascar.

Angelo Mandimbihasana started working with Durrell in 2000 as a student studying the population genetics of the Ploughshare Tortoise. He joined us as Baly Bay Project Manager in 2005, and received training in Jersey in 2009. His responsibilities include the challenge of protecting the tortoise from illegal poaching for the pet trade. This requires close collaboration with Madagascar National Parks, the Ministry of the Environment and Forests and local authorities at the regional and village levels.

Francisco “Coco” Rakotombololona has worked for Durrell since 1997 as Community Conservation Manager for Menabe. Coco received training at the ITC in 2005. He is responsible for the formation of community associations at key villages around the remaining dry forests of Menabe. These villages are responsible for sustainably managing the forests and biodiversity adjacent to their village. Each participates in an environmental competition, organised annually by Coco that evaluates how well they have managed their forest.

Anselme Toto Volahy began studying Giant Jumping Rats with Durrell as a student in 1997. He has been Durrell’s Research Biologist in Menabe since 2000. Anselme attended a course on PHVA and small population biology in Jersey in 2002. Anselme is responsible for conservation research in Menabe, including key species such as Narrow-striped Mongoose, Giant Jumping Rats, and Flat-tailed tortoise. Anselme is also developing survey methods for small mammals, forest birds, lemurs, reptiles, and amphibians.

Ernest Bekarany has been managing the Chelonian Captive Breeding Centre at Ampijoroa since 1996. Ernest is responsible for overseeing the health and captive breeding of three Critically Endangered species; Ploughshare tortoise, Madagascar Side-necked turtle, and Flat-tailed tortoise. Ernest received training at the ITC in Jersey in 2002. Ernest’s responsibilities include management of facilities and staff, ensuring proper animal care, and liasing with Madagascar National Parks at Ankarafantsika. Ernest provides a steady presence at the facility.

Juliette Velosoa started with Durrell as a student in 1998. She joined our permanent staff in 2002 as Rere Project Manager. Juliette has been researching Rere distribution, ecology and population trends, and integrating local communities and traditional customs within active conservation programmes. In 2008, Juliette presented a paper at the World Herpetological Conference in Brazil, followed by turtle research on the Rio Negro. She is one of the world’s leading experts on “head-starting” chelonians.

Felix Razafindrajao has been working with endangered waterfowl since 1999 as our Waterbirds Project Manager. Felix has played a major role in the study of the ecology and distribution of Madagascar Teal, and has developed methodologies for monitoring colonial nesting waterbirds in Madagascar. In 2008, he presented at the 12th Pan-African Ornithological Congress in South Africa. In 2009, Felix took on a major new responsibility, managing the conservation of the Madagascar Pochard, the world’s rarest duck.

Fidy Ralainasolo began working with Durrell in 2001 as a student studying the Alaotran Gentle Lemur. Since 2004, Fidy has been coordinating lemur research and rainforest conservation in Manombo as Project Manager. His research focuses on the ecology of two flagship species; the Black and White Ruffed Lemur, and the Gray-headed lemur, one of the world’ most endangered primates. Fidy is training local teams to carry out research, and assisting village Associations sustainably manage the forest.