Mandresy is the recipient of one of our Revolutionary Storytellers and is now organizing a field school project in southwestern Madagascar to empower Malagasy students and teachers through hands-on experiences in biodiversity, conservation, and environmental education. Participants will explore unique ecosystems, study Madagascar’s endemic species—especially lemurs—and engage with local cultures. The goal is to inspire the next generation of Malagasy conservation leaders by connecting them directly with the natural world. To support this initiative, donations can be made via their GoFundMe page before August 1, 2025.
Q & A WITH A MALAGASY PHOTOGRAPHER AND PRIMATOLOGIST
IMAGES BY MANDRESY RAMPANJANTO
INTERVIEW BY JASMINE ACHARYA
Mandresy, a primatology student and Malagasy recipient of a Revolutionary Story Grant provided by PWB and On the Edge, joined me from the top of a hill before heading out for a day of work.
Mandresy has been passionate about lemurs since he was about 10 years old. When asked about his journey finding inspiration as a storyteller, Mandresy explained that he had not heard of the formal term ‘storytelling’ until recently, but reflected that he probably started storytelling when he was around 13 years old. “Even then, my stories were always about lemurs and the fauna and flora in Madagascar,” he remarked.
Hi Mandresy, thank you for speaking with me. I was wondering if you could tell me what it was like getting to know and learning from people within the Zafimaniry community?
When I first went to speak with the Zafimaniry community, I was fascinated and amazed because we have different dialects, different cultures, different ways of thinking, everything is different. I spoke to the chief of the village, the elders, the children, and some teachers. The first time it was difficult because I was not able to understand much, but after two years of discussions together, I became more and more familiar with their culture. Now we are like cousins and we speak very informally and are very close.
Can you tell me about your wildest adventure while working on this project?
My journey to Vohibola III was full of adventure. But the moment that struck me the most was crossing the bridge connecting Ambohimitombo hill and Vohibola III hill. The local guides told me that the bridge was hard and I can pass over it easily. I was completely reassured and I did not worry about anything and that despite the rain which continued to fall that day, nothing would happen to me. I was ecstatic at the thought of being able to take a photo on this bridge as a souvenir. Before reaching the bridge, there were some small slips due to the mud, but it was not scary. Arriving on the bridge, I was completely terrified as there were only 3 tree trunks connecting the south edge and half of the bridge, there was only one non-studded branch for balance . I was about to give up because this bridge was too dangerous, it was both slippery and almost rotten. I was dizzy looking at the Maintinandry river and the large blocks of granite which were 4m below the famous bridge. If someone falls while crossing it, death is assured. But as a biology student, I must face obstacles like this and I must remain strong and determined to do this project and meet the lemurs of Vohibola III. Finally, I had the courage to cross it and the opportunity to explore the Zafimaniry forest.
What was it like to see your first lemur?
The first day I was out, there were no lemurs. The second day, I woke up at 4am and we walked across to the east side of the forest when suddenly, I saw them. I saw a few lemurs of the cathemeral species and I was very excited, but they are not an EDGE species. So I continued walking and I was kind of disappointed because we had not seen the EDGE lemurs that I was really hoping to find. After walking for a bit, one of my guides saw a black shape jumping from tree to tree. He said, “there is a big propithecus, come look.” That was the first time in my life that I saw this species and the first EDGE species that we met in this forest. I was really thrilled and excited and so thankful to the guide.
What do you hope people take away from your story?
As a primatologist, I hope that many, many people will know about lemurs because even people here don’t know how precious lemurs are. So, I hope that my stories will impact them to know more about lemurs, because lemurs are one of our most precious friends as they plant trees. Without them, there are no trees in Madagascar. So, I hope that all the children and all the parents will take part in the conservation of the lemurs in Madagascar. I also hope that these stories will help researchers notice how important it is to study lemurs.
How are lemurs a part of Madagascar’s future?
Here in Madagascar, lemurs attract tourists, they protect our land, and protect our forests, and there is no way to get them back if we kill all of them. In the future, I hope to make more photos and videos about lemurs because I want people to start admiring them and understanding the wealth they bring to our lives.
What’s next for this project? How does it influence where you’re going from here?
Recently, I was in Namaqua National Park and have taken many beautiful photos of lemurs living there. So after my fieldwork there, I plan to share my work with the Zafimaniry community to show which lemurs live in this part of Madagascar and how people in the national park protect lemurs. This will hopefully be one of my future projects.
What was the impact of the grant and community exhibition on the community?
The grant and community exposure has had a great impact on the local community. First of all, this project created short-term work for certain young people in the village of Ambohitombo. They helped us carry our equipment and our food, cook and guard our camp. Local merchants also benefited from this project as we purchased certain products in their stores. Indeed, buying local reduces our carbon footprint and promotes the concept of sustainable development.
The project also opened a path for the village association VOI PARC ZAFIMANIRY. Their forest and their association were promoted during the project and the members hope that researchers and visitors will start taking more interest.
Finally, this exhibition allowed the local community to better understand the different species of lemurs living in the Vohibola III forest but above all the roles that these animals play in their natural habitats and the benefits they bring to us humans.
What's next for this project? How does it influence where you're going from here?
This grant helped me to improve my skills in photography, storytelling and my understanding of the importance of village associations and the villagers themselves on the conservation of protected areas and biodiversity. In the future, I hope to be able to continue doing conservation and research projects on lemurs and the Vohibola III forest. I wish to continue telling stories to promote this incredible rainforest and to raise awareness among schoolchildren, pupils and others in other villages in the Amoroni Mania region.I hope that in the future, the theme of my PhD will be on lemurs of Vohibola III.
Mandresy is the recipient of one of our Revolutionary Storyteller Grants and is now organizing a field school project in southwestern Madagascar to empower Malagasy students and teachers through hands-on experiences in biodiversity, conservation, and environmental education. Participants will explore unique ecosystems, study Madagascar’s endemic species—especially lemurs—and engage with local cultures. The goal is to inspire the next generation of Malagasy conservation leaders by connecting them directly with the natural world. To support this initiative, donations can be made via their GoFundMe page before August 1, 2025.
