From the Forests of Madagascar to the Streets of London

Rio as a child in rural Madagascar (left) and recieving his Scholarship to study in the UK (right), taken from the seminar presentation.

Rio Heriniaina

As a child Rio dreamt of one day working in conservation. Growing up in a rurual area of Madagascar he was inspired by the work of his grandfather, who taught him about the forest and its importance.

After completing a Masters degree at the university in Madagascars capital, Rio recieved a British Government funded scholarship to study in London, UK.

Since his studies he has been involved in several high profile studies and projects in Madagascar and contributed greatly to the local conservation efforts there.

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Why Madagascar Conservation?

Madagascar has its own unique biodiversity. However, it also has extremely high threats and pressures such as deforrestation, hunting and poaching.

Results table from Rio’s research into animal preference in local school children, taken from the seminar presentation

During Rio’s studies he conducted research into school children and their attitude towards the native fauna of Madagascar. In a survey, children were asked to state their preference from a choice of animals, some native and some exotic.

The results showed that the top 3 preferences of Malagasy school children were;

1. Cats
2. Dogs
3. Elephants

He discovered that the majority of children did not know about their native biodiversity.

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Ako Project

Shocked by the lack of conservation education available to the local Malagasy children, Rio became involved in the Ako Project.

This project looked at training teachers to use drama in order to convey stories from books about local species, and create performances by the children for their parents, passing on the knowledge the children had learnt and creating an impact on their parents.

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Lemur Festival

Due to the experiences Rio had had and the reputation he had built, Rio was asked to help create a Madagascan festival.

The result was the Lemur festival, now celebrated on a yearly basis and around the world in various zoos and zoological institutions.

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Personal Thoughts

Rio’s seminar was truly inspiring. He spoke about the importance of networking and the paths he took in order to get the most out of every opportunity and get to where he is today.

I found it extremely beneficial to my future career path, maybe not in regards to being able to follow in his footsteps, as he has a completely different background to myself and many of the opportunities he was exposed to would not be available to me due to him being Malagasy. It was more the sense of passion he conveyed that was most beneficial. He spoke to my ambition and my drive for what I love, which motivated me to explore new opportunities I may have previously missed.

I hope to one day inspire others as Rio has inspired me to follow my dreams.

Written by Rebecca Snell