|
Our StoryOur story begins in 1993 when Brian Fisher explored Andohahela National Park for new insect species. This trip led to 100's more across the island and in the process discovered thousands of new species. In 2004 he established an NGO in Madagascar to create a facility for entomological research and education. With land donated by the Minister of Education and support from private donations, the Madagascar Biodiversity Center opened in November 2006. The MBC includes training facilities for Malagasy students and provides an environment where Malagasy scientists can foster a sustainable future. The MBC also serves as a base for research conducted by the California Academy of Sciences in Madagascar.
The MBC team consists of 10 Malagasy biologists who manage research projects that bridge the gap between academic research and direct conservation action on the ground. Our vision is to promote MBC for collaborative science with direct conservation outcomes. Our goal is to help Madagascar avert large scale species extinctions and to restore biodiversity and natural capital on degraded landscapes. |
We document and understand arthropod diversity and its benefits and bring this expertise to restore and sustain ecosystems essential for human well-being.
Our Approach
1. Document and research arthropod diversity and its uses for humanity.
2. Provide data-rich evidence from our field collections for science and conservation.
3. Disseminate our scientific knowledge of arthropods, maximizing its impact in science, education, conservation policy and management in the Malagasy region.
2. Provide data-rich evidence from our field collections for science and conservation.
3. Disseminate our scientific knowledge of arthropods, maximizing its impact in science, education, conservation policy and management in the Malagasy region.
Arthropod Diversity
Humanity spends a lot of money searching for life in outer space, but we have described only 20% of the species on Earth. We recognize that we cannot maintain ecosystem services from forests without their resident biodiversity; and we cannot protect and maintain biodiversity without exploration and research of the creatures that are the cogs in the forest machinery.
MBC’s scientific team is currently addressing the following questions:
- Question 1: What arthropods occur on Madagascar and how is this diversity distributed?
- Question 2: What drivers and processes underpin arthropod diversity in the Malagasy region?
- Question 3: What arthropod diversity is under threat and what needs to be conserved to provide resilience to climate change?
- Question 4: Which arthropods contribute to important ecosystem services, sustainable livelihoods, food and feed and how do we manage and restore them?
Field and Collection based science
Arthropod diversity is inherently a collection based science and required developing the National Entomology collection housed at MBC. MBC has an unrivalled wealth of scientific collections of arthropods. These collections, combined with the expertise of our collaborating scientists from around the world, provide data-rich evidence for addressing key scientific questions in arthropod science. Well managed, well curated and widely accessible collections are therefore crucial to the success of our science program and is a resource for science, policy and conservation.
With support from the EU and the African Insect Atlas project, we are extracting and linking the extensive information held in all our collections and databases to provide a resource for scientific investigation into our own research questions and for the use of the global scientific community.
With support from the EU and the African Insect Atlas project, we are extracting and linking the extensive information held in all our collections and databases to provide a resource for scientific investigation into our own research questions and for the use of the global scientific community.
Do good science and good for society
We aim to translate our scientific knowledge of arthropods for direct conservation outcomes. We have the capacity to use this knowledge to provide science-based solutions to address some of the critical challenges facing Madagascar.
Our collections-based research includes comparative studies of living and preserved collections in an evolutionary context. We are enabling this resource for the evaluation of conservation status, predictive assessments of the impacts of global change on species, populations and communities, and assessments of ecosystem health.
A further emphasis is to train and build capacity in the core skills of biodiversity science.
Our collections-based research includes comparative studies of living and preserved collections in an evolutionary context. We are enabling this resource for the evaluation of conservation status, predictive assessments of the impacts of global change on species, populations and communities, and assessments of ecosystem health.
A further emphasis is to train and build capacity in the core skills of biodiversity science.
Visiting Researcher and facility fees
See a list of fees for dorm room, lab use, and conference room rental: click here
