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Forest-based livelihoods in northeastern Madagascar
What roles do wild plants fill for rural households? And how can nature-based strategies support both people and wildlife as this resource base declines?
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My dissertation evaluated the drivers and consequences of non-cultivated plant use on the Masoala Peninsula in northeastern Madagascar. There, the large-scale illicit extraction of rosewood and other Malagasy hardwoods has brought international attention to the region, alongside concern for the tenuous future of its other rich natural resources. Local people of the Masoala are often framed as significant threats to the region’s biodiversity without ready acknowledgment of the context in which the local use of natural resources occurs. To challenge this neocolonial concept, I sought to understand local natural resource use concerns from a comprehensive and emic perspective. I used a systems thinking approach, alongside a cross-cutting suite of social and ecological research methods, to evaluate how natural resource use affects provisioning services for people and wildlife across the Masoala and to identify key motivations for natural resource use at the household level. Finally, I focused on the multiplicity of human and environmental factors shaping a critical use of natural resources in the study region: that of construction materials for local housing. In addition to documenting regional construction practices and household-reported housing concerns, I paired extensive semi-structured household interviews with a full inventory of timber species used at the household-level. This effort allowed me to evaluate the interplay between timber availability, accessibility, and user preference in determining species-specific timber use. As climate change and extreme weather directly threaten the housing security of Masoala residents, exploring strategies for resilient housing is of utmost importance.
Short on time?Watch my first-place-winning Three-Minute Thesis presentation at Stony Brook University for an overview of my research.
"Those living in 'exotic paradises' worldwide are often vilified for using the forest to survive. But the lives of local people tell another story. Let's listen, form a richer understanding, and help their ideas for a sustainable future to grow."
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Research Highlights
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Publications To-Date
Dissertation: Kling, KJ. (2024). Natural resource use by forest-adjacent communities in northeastern Madagascar: its drivers and implications. Publication Number 31298180. [Doctoral Dissertation, State University of New York at Stony Brook]. Available from Dissertations & Theses @ SUNY Stony Brook, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (ID: 3100834533).
Kling KJ, Eppley TM, Markham AC, Wright PC, Razafindrapaoly BN, Delox R, Rasolofoniaina BJR, Randriamanetsy JM, Elison P, Andriamahaihavana M, Gibson D, Rasamisoa DC, Razafindramanana J, Vasey N, Daniels CW, & Borgerson C. (2024). Provisioning services decline for both people and Critically Endangered wildlife in a rainforest transformation landscape. People and Nature 6(2), 627-645. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10591
Kling KJ, Eppley TM, Markham AC, Wright PC, Razafindrapaoly BN, Delox R, Rasolofoniaina BJR, Randriamanetsy JM, Elison P, Andriamahaihavana M, Gibson D, Rasamisoa DC, Razafindramanana J, Vasey N, Daniels CW, & Borgerson C. (2024). Provisioning services decline for both people and Critically Endangered wildlife in a rainforest transformation landscape. People and Nature 6(2), 627-645. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10591
Conference Presentations
Kling KJ, Elison P, & Borgerson C. (2024). "Rooted in perception: Household preferences for timber in northeastern Madagascar." Poster presentation at the 10th annual meeting of Forests & Livelihoods: Assessment, Research, and Engagement Network (FLARE). Rome, Italy.
Kling, KJ, Eppley TM, Markham AC, Wright PC, & Borgerson B. (2022). "A Usable Feast? Red-ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra) food resources and utilitarian plants in northeastern Madagascar." Poster presentation at the 8th meeting of the Northeastern Primatology Group (NEEP). Buffalo, NY, USA.
Kling, KJ, Eppley TM, Markham AC, Wright PC, & Borgerson B. (2022). "A Usable Feast? Red-ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra) food resources and utilitarian plants in northeastern Madagascar." Poster presentation at the 8th meeting of the Northeastern Primatology Group (NEEP). Buffalo, NY, USA.
Sustainable Management for Future Generations in Madagascar
The Fitantanana Maharitra Holovainjafy (FMH), or Sustainable Management for Future Generations, project seeks to systematically implement and evaluate livelihood intervention activities common across sustainable natural resource management efforts in Madagascar. Through a data-driven and community-led approach, FMH aims to provide answers to a critical question that has largely been left unanswered in Madagascar: what works and what doesn't in conservation and development practice?
Funded by the UK Government (Defra), the six-year project is carried out by a consortium of research and NGO partners and led by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Greater London. I support data collection, management, and analysis as a Project Conservation Data Officer for FMH and contribute to its Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) efforts.
Funded by the UK Government (Defra), the six-year project is carried out by a consortium of research and NGO partners and led by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Greater London. I support data collection, management, and analysis as a Project Conservation Data Officer for FMH and contribute to its Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) efforts.
FMH Consortium Members at the FMH Model Workshop outside Antananarivo, Madagascar (February 2026)
Making Science SAFER
As a team member of the Scientist Adverse Field Experiences Research (SAFER) project, I am helping to uncover how we can work to make field research safer.
Check out our work here! |
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Contact me or the SAFER_team [at] stonybrook.edu to learn how you can be involved!
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Other Work
I love talking wildlife, the environment, and science in general!
I enjoyed my stint as a Troop Leader for the Wilderness Explorers at Disney's Animal Kingdom, where we connected with guests and empowered them to take their own pro-environmental actions.
Today, I continue to share my passion for science communication, especially with young learners. I support National Geographic Kids by researching and fact-checking for their books and did some writing of my own over the pandemic as I explored the plants of New York City. I accept other work on a freelance basis. |
Recent Contributions
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Contribution to titles includes researching scientific validity of book manuscripts and imagery,
while communicating suggested edits with National Geographic Partner's editorial team
while communicating suggested edits with National Geographic Partner's editorial team
Header image: Ambalavero, southeastern Madagascar
