Reconstructing the Holocene Savannas of Madagascar

This project focuses on reconstructing Madagascar’s Holocene grassy biomes and understanding how changes in human land use relate to the dynamics and distribution of grassy biomes in Madagascar’s past and present. The aims of this project and related future work include: (1) defining Madagascar’s modern fire and vegetation regimes relative to the rest of the tropics using remote sensing information; (2) conducting a review of comparative grassy biome histories between Madagascar and continental Africa; (3) organizing a collaborative and interdisciplinary workshop and review of evidence surrounding the distribution and dynamics of Holocene grassy biomes in Madagascar; and (4) reconstructing grassy biome change and its relationship with land use in the past and present.

This project is supported by a Swiss National Science Foundation Early Postdoc Mobility Grant.

The project is affiliated with several institutions including: School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh; Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh; OBT Lab, Penn State; Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre; Association Vahatra.