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Consortium
ICTE
N-543 SBS Bldg.
SUNY at Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY
11794-4364
631.632.9440
Fax: 631.632.7692
Email Us
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International Consortium for Research
and Training (ICRT)
NEWS! The
second meeting of the Consortium will be held at the
Centre ValBio from June 8-10 2005. We encourage all
institutions with interests in research and training
in Madagascar to join the consortium and send a representative.
Consortium Purpose:
The International Consortium for Research
and Training (ICRT) is a group of universities and research
institutions dedicated to promoting basic and applied
research and training in biodiversity conservation and
development in Madagascar. The initial focus of the consortium
is to develop a regional, national, and international
center for biodiversity research, training, conservation,
and development at the Centre
ValBio. The long-term goal is to develop a model for
tropical research and training that can be applied elsewhere
in Madagascar.
Goals in Forming Consortium:
- Facilitate research, training, and
conservation in Madagascar.
- Increase the breadth of international interest in
Madagascar research, training, and conservation, especially
at the Centre ValBio.
- Broaden the scope of input into training
and research by soliciting a range of expertise.
- Train Malagasy and Consortium members
in research, conservation and policy.
- Promote the integration of modern
scientific technology into research in Madagascar.
Site Focus:
Centre ValBio (International Training Center
for the Study of Biodiversity, Centre de Formation
International pour la Valorisation de la Biodiversité),
is adjacent to Ranomafana, Madagascar. The Centre ValBio
is an expansion of the Ranomafana National Park Research
Station. Since 1986, research at the Ranomafana National
Park Research Station has resulted in over 290 publications,
23 Ph.D dissertations,
and 84 Master's theses.
Research topics include systematics; behavioral ecology
studies of important and at-risk species; community-level
studies such as stream ecosystem function, leaf litter
community dynamics, seed-dispersal, pollination; predation
studies in birds, primates, and other mammals; and long-term
ecological monitoring of biodiversity.
Consortium Structure:
Member institutions appoint one voting representative
("Institution Representative") to the Consortium
Board of Directors that meets annually to review programs
and plans, to approve the budget, and to elect officers
including the Executive Director. Overall fiscal and programmatic
responsibility for Centre ValBio are the responsibility
of the Executive Director, who has a five year renewable
term. Steering Committee members of the Board of Directors
will write the by-laws of the Consortium. A Consultative
Board will consist of institutions that are not research
and training-based, but have an interest in the Centre
ValBio. The Consultative Board may attend annual meetings
to provide advice and guidance.
Current Lead Institution:
- Institute for the Conservation of
Tropical Environments (ICTE)
- Executive Director: Patricia C. Wright
Benefits to Consortium Members:
- Active role in research, conservation,
and training in one of the most threatened tropical
rain forest habitats in the world. Madagascar is a
megadiversity country, and one of the top ten biodiversity
hotspots.
- Reduced rates on research station
fees for member institution scientists and graduate
students conducting research in Madagascar.
- Membership and voting rights in the
Consortium Board of Directors
- Priority of access of faculty and
graduate students from member institutions to Centre
ValBio. The Centre ValBio will be able to support
up to 60 people at a time.
- Participation in the development of
a cluster of World Heritage Sites in southeastern
Madagascar. The Centre ValBio is serving as the training
and research hub of a cluster of protected areas in
southeastern Madagascar that are being nominated as
World Heritage Sites.
- Priority of access of undergraduates
to Madagascar Study Abroad Program, one of the few
science-based study abroad programs in the US.
- Opportunity for Consortium Institution
faculty to develop field courses at Centre ValBio
- Networking with international faculty,
students, researchers, and decision-makers at the
annual meetings and the research site.
- Internationalization of University
Programs
- Charter members form the Steering
Committee to write the by-laws of the Consortium
Responsibilities of Consortium Member
Institutions and Institution Representatives:
-
Member institutions pay annual dues
(initially $5,000). Dues will be used for Consortium
expenses and for operating expenses at the Centre
ValBio.
-
Member institutions provide funding
(airfare, perdiem) for their Institution Representative
to attend annual meetings (some in Madagascar).
-
Institution Representatives:
-
Elect the Executive Director of
the Consortium
-
Review Center ValBio Annual Report
and Workplan
-
Establish goals and future directions
for the Centre ValBio and the Consortium
-
Provide guidance in developing research
and training programs at the Centre ValBio
-
Provide expertise and advice to
Malagasy policy makers and managers when needed.
Founding Member Institutions:
- University at Stony Brook (USA)
- University of Helsinki (Finland)
- University of Antananarivo (Madagascar)
- University of Fianarantsoa (Madagascar)
Potential Member Institutions for Consortium:
- American Museum of Natural History
(USA)
- California Academy of Sciences (USA)
- Chicago Zoological Society (USA)
- Columbia University (USA)
- Duke University (USA)
- Field Museum, Chicago (USA)
- Harvard University (USA)
- Missouri Botanical Garden (USA)
- New York University (USA)
- Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (UK)
- Smithsonian Institution (USA)
- Tufts University (USA)
- University of Arizona (USA)
- University of California at Davis
(USA)
- University of Colorado, Boulder (USA)
- University of Hamburg (Germany)
- University of Stockholm (Sweden)
- University of Texas, Austin (USA)
- University of Toronto (Canada)
- University of Tulear (Madagascar)
- University of Turku (Finland)
- University of Uppsala (Sweden)
- University of Victoria (Canada)
- University of Zurich (Switzerland)
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
(USA)
- Washington University (USA)
- Wildlife Conservation Society (USA)
- Yale University (USA)
Potential Members for Consultative Board:
- ANGAP (Association for the Management
of Protected Areas, Madagascar)
- ONE (National Office of the Environment,
Madagascar)
- DEF (Department of Water and Forests,
Madagascar)
- MICET (Malagasy Institute for the
Conservation of Tropical Ecosystems)
- CI (Conservation International)
- WWF (World Wildlife Fund)
- TBA (Tropical Biology Association-Europe)
- OTS (Organization of Tropical Studies-the
Americas)
- MFG (Madagascar Fauna Group)
Based on the OTS Model:
The International Consortium for Research
and Training gratefully acknowledges the excellent model
provided by OTS (Organization
for Tropical Studies). OTS member institutions pay
an annual fee ($8,800 in 2001) and provide funding for
the institutional representative to attend the annual
meeting in Costa Rica.
Joining the International Consortium for
Research and Training:
If your organization is considering joining
our Consortium, please contact the ICTE.
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