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To celebrate World Wildlife Day, we’re sharing five of our favourite facts about the Ankarafa Field Station in Sahamalaza, Northern Madagascar, part of the Radama National Park.

The Bristol Zoological Society has worked in northern Madagascar for over a decade, carrying out invaluable conservation work to safeguard the wildlife in this unique and biologically rich African island. Recent research has suggested that it will take millions of years for the island’s biodiversity to recover after years of exploitation and harvesting of natural resources and materials.

º£½ÇÊÓƵ was approached by the Richard Feilden Foundation (RFF) to provide engineering support for a new field research station located in the Ankarafa Forest within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Designed to replace the existing outmoded camp, the new facility allows researchers to increase the scale and effectiveness of their conservation work in one of the most biodiverse places on earth.

1. The station studies Madagascar’s endangered Blue-eyed Black Lemurs and conserves the region’s forests

The island, known for its unique flora and fauna, has been devastated by droughts and deforestation – turning large parts of the country into a dustbowl. This has led to urgent action by conservationists to protect wildlife such as ring-tailed lemurs, fossas, tenrecs and nocturnal primates known as aye-ayes, all of which are at threat of extinction.

Our work to help build the Ankarafa Field Station supports conservation work by the  and Lemur Conservation Association (AEECL) to safeguard local wildlife and biodiversity.

A key part of their work involves studying the behaviour of the ecologically and critically endangered Blue-eyed Black Lemur. The lemurs are one of the 101 endemic species of lemurs found exclusively in Madagascar, most of which are endangered due to the vast deforestation in the region.

2. The station’s isolated location in Ankarafa Forest affected its design

The site’s extremely remote and isolated location meant the delivery of supplies and waste removal, which had the potential to be both difficult and costly, was a key consideration for our team.

The journey to the station takes a minimum of two days from Antananarivo depending on the season. In the dry season, the site was accessible by road, allowing for more flexibility when delivering materials. However, in the wet season, the site is only accessible by boat and then hiking, significantly impacting our capacity to deliver and remove materials and equipment from the site.

This meant that every kilogram carried had to be as efficient as possible and our crew needed to create a design that reduced the amount of construction materials we brought to the site. Being this efficient with our materials also helped to limit our impact on the local environment.

Because the site was so remote, traditional construction methods weren’t suitable. We also wanted to push for more sustainable alternatives.

Lara Judeh, Civil Engineer

3. The construction used a type of brick never employed before in Madagascar

The site’s location meant our team needed to deliver a design that used as much material already available on site as possible. To achieve this, we formulated a plan that uses Interlocking Stabilised Soil Blocks (ISSB) which are formed from soil readily available on-site mixed with a small amount of concrete. The blocks are then compressed into bricks using a manually operated hand press.

The unusual interlocking shape of the blocks enables them to be easily slotted together, and only a minimal amount of mortar is needed between each layer to form a wall.

As well as tackling logistical issues, the ISSB design further supports the station’s sustainable credentials. Traditionally, the country’s construction uses clay-fired bricks, which are heated in a wood-burning kiln, therefore contributing to deforestation. Our ISSBs do not need heating, so no tree felling is required to make them. To our knowledge, this is the first time ISSBs have been used in Madagascar.

4. The sanitation system utilises Tiger Worms to deal with waste

To develop a self-sufficient facility, the station needed to ensure that the amount of waste produced was limited. The final design included a solar-powered water pump allowing water to be filtered, stored and used for the showers and drinking water.

Innovatively, our team also included composting toilets that use Tiger Worms to break down waste in the station’s sanitation system. The worms live in 100mm of soil bedding where waste is disposed of before they naturally process and filter any matter through the remaining layers of gravel.

This method limits the amount of water and plumbing needed by the station and also removes the need to use potentially harmful chemicals to break down waste.

5. Ankarafa Field Station supports local people to save their natural heritage and surroundings

As well as protecting local wildlife, the field station contributes to the protection of the forest in a much wider context, providing a hub for conservation across the region and creating a link between the local community and the forest through education.

Researchers based at the station work alongside the local Malagasy community to further promote sustainable farming methods and construction techniques, with the aspiration of transforming the way the forest is viewed so that it is preserved for both themselves and future generations.

By ensuring that researchers have a presence in the region, we can help to tackle further deforestation and protect the many endangered species found in the region.

Our team worked on the project as part of our Share Our Skills initiative, which enables our engineers to dedicate time to projects that need it most, without charging a fee.