I am a Bromley resident and a past pupil of St Mark’s Primary School and Bishop Challoner Secondary School. I have always taken an interest in Biology and this summer I will be undertaking an expedition to South East Madagascar. I will be travelling with five other students from the University of Exeter, and we will be studying the local flora and fauna.

Running from 9th August - 18th September, with a view to running a longitudinal study on an annual basis, the project is entirely student-led with the research forming no part of our respective degrees.

Madagascar has been isolated from mainland Africa for over 88 million years; resulting in both high species richness and a significant proportion of endemic species.

Our study site, Loholoka, is a coastal humid forest located 600km from the capital, Antananarivo. Currently, the site has no conservation status and so the area is not protected.

Our aim is to create the first comprehensive biodiversity record of the Loholoka forest. Our project addresses an important gap in biological knowledge and will allow the establishment of long-term conservation of the biodiversity of Loholoka.

We will be collaborating with students from the University of Antananarivo's Botany and Animal Biology Departments, Government Authorities and will also be working closely with Development and Biodiversity Conservation Action for Madagascar (DBCAM) a small Madagascan research NGO which takes a grass roots focus when working with local communities.

Through our in-country contacts we are hoping to encourage more student led projects in Madagascar. In addition these strong collaborations will ensure our findings can be used appropriately in Madagascar once we have returned to the UK.

Why It Matters The world is in a biodiversity crisis in which it is estimated that the current species extinction rate is between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than it would naturally be.

In Loholoka the story is no different; a number of threats to biodiversity have been flagged, namely illegal logging and charcoal production. With your help our research would play a significant role in determining the biodiversity status of the area and the fragility of the species present. Without these vital surveys endangered species may go unprotected; furthermore new species may be lost before they are identified. From 1999 to 2010, scientists discovered 615 new species in Madagascar, including 41 mammals and 61 reptiles.

How You Can Support Us This project is costing us £20000 and so far we have received funding from the Royal Geographical Society and The John Muir Trust. Alongside our personal contributions, we need your help to raise the final £5000! We are running a crowd funding campaign on indiegogo until the 3rd August with a range of perks offered to match your donation, however big or small. If you are a business we have a sponsorship pack. Additionally, people who shop online can use our page at easyfundraising.org which raises funds at no extra cost to you.

Your contribution will go towards our in-county costs, ranging from: 4WD vehicles (the terrain is tough!), local guides, scientific equipment hire, food, as well as allowing us to document everything through the use of film and photography.

Any help is greatly appreciated, even if it’s simply liking our Expedition Loholoka page on Facebook.

Based on information supplied by Nicholas Davey.