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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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Consortium for Research and Training
in Madagascar (CRTM)
Consortium Purpose:
The Consortium for Research and Training
in Madagascar (CRTM) is an international group of universities
and research institutions dedicated to promoting basic
and applied research and training in biodiversity conservation
and to supporting sustainable rural development in Madagascar.
The Consortium established the Centre ValBio to acheive
these goals on a regional, national, and international
level. 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
research, training, and conservation within Madagascar,
especially through 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 methods, technology, and research in Madagascar.
Site Focus:
Centre ValBio
is located just outside Ranomafana National Park in southeastern
Madagascar. The Centre ValBio grew out of the Ranomafana
National Park Research Station, established inside the
park in 1986. Since this time, research at the Ranomafana
National Park Research Station has resulted in over 300
publications, 25 Ph.D
dissertations, and 86
Master's and DEA theses. Research topics include systematics;
behavioral ecology and the study of key and threatened
species; management of small populations; stream ecosystem
function; leaf litter community dynamics; seed-dispersal;
pollination; predation studies of birds, primates, and
other mammals; village-level socioeconomic and human ecology
studies; and long-term ecological monitoring of biodiversity.
Consortium Structure:
Member institutions appoint Institutional
Representative(s) to the Consortium Board of Directors.
These Institutional Representatives meet annualy at the
Centre ValBio to review the Centre's annual work plan
and budget, with each member institution having one vote
on the Board. Overall fiscal and programmatic responsibility
for Centre ValBio lies with the Chairperson of the Board,
who has a five year renewable term and is elected by the
Institutional Representatives. The Consortium operates
uner a charter and by-laws written and approved by the
Board of Directors. An External Advisory Board will consist
of outside institutions with an interest in the programs
and objectives of the Centre ValBio. The External Advisory
Board will 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:
- Internationalization of university
programs.
- Membership and voting rights in the Consortium Board
of Directors
- 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.
- Opportunity to establish field research programs
within an institutional framework, which includes
access to trained parataxonomists/research technicians
and the administration of project funds.
- Reduced rates on Centre ValBio fees
for Consortium scientists, students, and staff.
- Priority of access for faculty and
students from Consortium institutions to Centre ValBio.
(The Centre ValBio can host up to 65 people at a time).
- Priority of access of undergraduates
to Stony Brook University's Semester
Abroad in Madagascar program, one of the few science-based
study abroad programs in the USA.
- Opportunity for Consortium Institution
faculty to develop field courses at Centre ValBio.
- Networking with international faculty,
students, researchers, and decision-makers.
Responsibilities of Consortium Member
Institutions and Institution Representatives:
-
Consortium institutions pay annual
dues (initially $5,000). Dues will be used for Consortium
expenses and for operating expenses at the Centre
ValBio and to support annual Consortium Meetings.
-
Consortium institutions provide
funding (transportation, expenses) for their Institution
Representative to attend annual meetings.
Institution Representatives:
Elect the Chairperson of the Consortium
Board of Directors
Review Center ValBio annual workplan
and budget
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 requested.
Founding Consortium Institutions (Charter
Members):
- Ministry of the Environement, Water,
and Forests, Madagascar
- University of Antananarivo (Madagascar)
- University of Fianarantsoa (Madagascar)
- University at Stony Brook (USA)
- University of Helsinki (Finland)
Consortium Institutions (General Membership):
- California Academy of Sciences (USA)
- California Institute of Technology
(USA)
- Harvard University (USA)
- Smithsonian Institution (USA and Panama)
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
(USA)
Members for External Advisory Board:
- ANGAP (Association for the Management
of Protected Areas, Madagascar)
- ONE (National Office of the Environment,
Madagascar)
- MICET (Malagasy Institute for the
Conservation of Tropical Ecosystems)
- CI (Conservation International)
- ERI (Ecoregional Initiative), Madagascar
- MFG (Madagascar Fauna Group)
- GERP (Madagascar Primate Study and
Research Group)
- WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)
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 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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