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Ranomafana National Park Research Station
(RNPRS)
The Ranomafana National Park Research Station (RNPRS) has been in operation since 1986, when a new species of lemur, Hapalemur aureus, was discovered in the area in 1986 (Meier at al. 1987; Wright 1988). The RNPRS is located inside Ranomafana National Park, which became the fourth national park in Madagascar when it was inaugurated on 31 May 1991. The 43,500 square hectares protected by the park are nearly completely forested. Since 1986, research at Ranomafana National Park has resulted in over 250 publications, 15 Ph.D. dissertations, and 59 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.
During 2003-2004, the research and training facilities will move from the Ranomafana National Park Research Station inside the park to the Centre ValBio just outside the park to allow for the expansion and modernization of the facilities.
The Ranomafana National Park Research Station (old facilities) is located inside the park and is accessible only on foot - a 15-minute walk from the park entrance. The Ranomafana National Park Headquarters and entrance to the park are located on the main highway (Rt. 25) linking the high plateau to the Indian Ocean coast. The town of Ranomafana is 7km from the park entrance. A park vehicle makes daily trips between the town of Ranomafana and the park entrance.
All equipment, supplies, etc. must be hand-carried; there is no vehicular access. The current physical plant consists of two buildings, the Research Cabin and the Research Laboratory, and an outhouse facility consisting of two toilets, three showers, and a pit toilet.
All researchers live in tents near these buildings. Electricity and running water were brought into the research station in September 1998. The new showers have cold water only. The station has no phone service and consequently no email or Internet access. Laundry must be done in the stream or in the town of Ranomafana (7 km away).
The Research Cabin (38.7 m2) has
a small dining hall, a kitchen, an office for the station
manager, and storage space for field supplies. A cook from
the local area provides meals for all researchers at the
field station.
The Research Laboratory (38.7 m2) is both a laboratory and seminar room and is not climate controlled. It has a blackboard and a conference table for seminars and meetings and lab benches and a desk for researchers. In addition, there are six floor-to-ceiling carrels each with a desk, bookshelves, and cabinets, one for each of the ecological monitoring teams (mammals, insects, birds, reptiles, plants, and aquatic biology). Basic research equipment at this laboratory includes two stereo dissecting scopes, field scales and balances, a digital pH meter, a hand-held centrifuge, and a liquid nitrogen tank. A computer and printer were purchased for the laboratory in 1998 when the station received electricity. This laboratory space and equipment is heavily used.
Please see Ranomafana National Park for information on climate, trail system, and the field site.
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