I have always wanted to be out in the field, to go out and
see where and how a creature lives. Humans do not have one natural habitat, we
are able to adapt and live anywhere we wish. We are one of the few species that
are able to do this. This ability gives us an opportunity to be able to explore
and learn about how everyone else lives. Because of our ability to live
anywhere, we must learn to live with others who occupy the space. Most of these
species can only live in this one space, and are not able to travel. With this
special skill we have, it is only right to learn about all those who occupy the
same space we live in. This can be in your house, around your house or anywhere
you go. It is impossible to live with only other humans, nor should we try to
live a life without the constant thrum of life surrounding us. We cannot live
without those who share our space, for they are the ones that make the space
alive. I have always enjoyed nature not just for its beauty, but also for its
amazing capacity to hold life. To obtain happiness and an appreciation of life,
I need to know who is living with me and how they live their lives.
Since I first arrived in Madagascar, I have been fascinated
with all the flora and fauna that surrounds me. I take walks just to see what I
could see and learn. I often encountered the same species day after day and
decided to make a log of this. At Honko, we have books on all the different
species we might encounter. I used these books to create an official log of all
species found in the Honko area. This is a personal goal of mine, to record as
many species as possible during my time here. Each year, Honko works with
different schools around the world on a variety of projects. One study aboard
program called SIT uses Honko as a place for their students to do their final independent
research project. We are lucky to have two students with us right now, one
studying the bird life at Honko and the other studying the diversity of
reptiles and amphibians in the different ecosystems surrounding Honko. This has
given me the opportunity to use all the data and information I have collected
on the species observed at Honko. Here is a typical day for me: I wake up at
4:30am to go birding in the mangroves, then come back to have breakfast around
7:30am. I will then check the internet and write a few emails. Mid-morning will
take me out to the dry forest to go herping (looking for reptiles and
amphibians). We (the SIT student and I) will do this for about three hours in
three distinct forest types. This is than repeated in the afternoon with both
birding and herping.
It is such a pleasure to be able to go out and see how many
things are living all around me! Life lives everywhere, no matter what we do,
it will continue to live. The first step in learning to love nature is to see
how similar it is to our own lives: each creature out there only wants to eat,
live, and reproduce, which in its rawest form is what humans do each day. I can
look at any species and relate to it somehow, and I know each of you can as
well if you try. Even the fly (the bane of my existence here) I can understand
and relate to; it only wants to live, eat and carry on its genes, the fact that
we are in its way and bugs (pardon the pun) the hell out of us, should not make
me hate it more, it’s just nature, doing what it does best. Everything has a
role to play, a role within its territory, a role within its ecosystem and a
role within the world. If we do not understand what each role is, for each
species, we could and do change how an entire ecosystem functions. Go outside,
and see what is there, don’t be afraid of it, embrace it! There is no way you
can get rid of all the bugs, rodents, pests and nor should you want to, it
would change the way the world works and no one should hold that kind of power.
We need to learn to live with nature, because without it, we do not exist. My
all-time favorite quote:
Humankind has not
woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the
web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.
Chief Seattle
