Expedition Team

Chris Golden

My name is Chris Golden and I am a junior at Harvard College, studying biological anthropology. I grew up in Cohasset, MA and have long been interested in conservation biology and environmental management. I have had several experiences working on wildlife research projects though the most important experience I have had thus far was working for Luke in 1999 as an Earthwatch volunteer on his fossa project. In addition to this, I have had experience volunteering at Palm Beach Zoo, assisting a wildlife conservation project in Ghana, and conducting behavioral research on primates in Panama. All of these experiences have helped me to focus my interests and confirm that my heart lies in Madagascar.

As for this summer, the projects that I hope to accomplish are varied but all have the ultimate purpose of having large-scale, long-term conservation implications. I plan to analyze species area curves for Madagascar’s National Parks, as they are all isolated and fragmented. I will create these graphs for as many species groups as possible, starting with lemurs and carnivores. The classic research was analyzed before adequate species and population data had been collected. Also, using Landsat images, I will compare and contrast two comparable areas of land by looking at fossa population densities and different methods of forest fragmentation. Luke and I also will analyze the current status of the fossa to determine whether or not it meets endangered species criteria, using both life history and population data.