My work is not directly focused on preserving the forest as I mainly work on wildlife. I won’t share a specific moment during a fieldwork but something that I’ve experienced a lot and I find important in all the field I’ve been, is the implication of the local community to the preservation of “their forests”, I also find it very useful to hire people from these communities during any scientific fieldwork or any forest related fieldwork: hire someone to be a guide, hire someone to be a cook, bring an extra income to their daily routine is key. All of the local people that have worked with me were thirsty of knowledge, they were curious and that is good.
– Malalatiana Rasoazanany , Herpetologist & Conservation Biologist University of Antananarivo
Malalatiana Rasoazanany has worked at the front line of biodiversity research in Madagascar. A trained herpetologist and conservation biologist, she has documented reptiles, amphibians, and other species living in some of the country’s most fragile ecosystems — including small, isolated forest fragments that still shelter micro-endemic life despite intense pressure from deforestation.
Through her work with the University of Antananarivo and numerous scientific collaborations, she has contributed essential knowledge on species distribution, forest integrity, and ecological vulnerability. Her publications help reveal what survives in the shadows of disappearing forests, offering critical data for conservation efforts.
In a landscape where so many voices defend trees through activism, law, or community action, Malalatiana embodies a different form of guardianship: she protects forests by documenting what lives within them — recording, studying, and making visible the species that depend on these remaining habitats.
ARBRES À PALABRES for #dendrophiles edition for Antson’ny tontolo miaina #antsonytontolomiaina
ResearchGate (Main Profile)
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malalatiana-Rasoazanany
Herpetological Diversity in Small Forest Fragments (2021)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352887733_Uncovering_the_Herpetological_Diversity_of_Small_Forest_Fragments_in_South-Eastern_Madagascar_Haute_Matsiatra
Andringitra Massif Herpetofauna Study (2022)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364060495_Characterization_of_the_herpetological_diversity_of_the_Andringitra_Massif_South-East_Madagascar
Climate Change Maladaptation Risks for Microendemic Malagasy Frog (2025, preprint)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391825184_Integrating_ecological_niche_modeling_with_genotypeenvironment_associations_reveals_high_maladaptation_risks_under_climate_change_for_a_microendemic_Malagasy_frog
ZooKeys (2025) — New Microendemic Gecko from Small Forest Fragments
https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/151016/
photo source : https://www.instagram.com/javier_lobonrovira?igsh=aDBud3B2eTF1Zmo%3D
Chapitre 1 – The Guardians #antsonytontolomiaina
Chapter 2 — Trees: histories, symbols, ecological values #antsonytontolomiaina