Dr Estelle Razanatsoa

Junior Research Fellow

Research topic: Understanding the impact of climate change on the ecosystem in southwest Madagascar

Supervisors: Prof Lindsey Gillson, Dr Malika Virah-Sawmy and Dr Stephan Woodborne

Qualifications

PhD, University of Cape Town, South Africa

MSc, University of Montpellier 2, France

BSc, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Estelle is currently a Junior Research Fellow at the Plant Conservation Unit, University of Cape Town. Since her Ph.D., she has conducted interdisciplinary research looking at the long-term relationship and feedback within ecosystems to human land use and climate change with particular focus in tropical dry forests. She has worked extensively in Madagascar, her home country. Estelle is interested in using multiple data source primarily palaeoecological data, and analysis that would ultimately allow to establish frameworks leading to a sustainable and inclusive approaches to biodiversity conservation, restoration and climate change adaptation in a changing environment.

Estelle’s scientific merit has been recognised internationally through for example receiving a prize of the best oral presentation during the Young Scientists meeting (YSM) in Spain in 2017, being selected as a national geographic explorer 2021 and has been nominated as one of the 2021 AGNES-PAWS Junior Researcher Grantee. She has been invited to participate in international conferences and platforms, for example, as a contributing author for Africa in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 6th assessment report of the Working Group II report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability cross-chapter Mountains released on the 28th of February 2022. Estelle is interested in involving multiple stakeholders through the research process, including but not limited to local communities, conservationists, and policymakers. She has organised multiple workshops on this topic to facilitate such interaction and promoting paleoscience to wider audiences. She has also an interest in communicating research through non-academic platforms has been involved in outreach activities to promote science to younger generations in Africa.

Research interests

  • Conservation biology
  • Climate variability
  • Palaeoecology
  • Ethnobotany
  • Ecology
  • Palynology

Published and accepted peer-reviewed publications

  1. Razanatsoa E., Andriantsaralaza S., Holmes S.M., et al. 2021. Fostering local involvement for biodiversity conservation in tropical regions: Lessons from Madagascar during the COVID-19 pandemic. Biotropica; 53: 994-1003. DOI 10.1111/btp.12967
  2. Razanatsoa, E., Gillson,L., Virah-Sawmy, M., and Woodborne, S. 2021a. Synergy between climate and human land-use maintained open vegetation in southwest Madagascar over the last millennium. The Holocene. 31(12). DOI 10.1177/09596836211041731. 
  3. Razanatsoa, E., Gillson, L., Virah-Sawmy, M., and Woodborne, S. 2021b. Pollen records of the 14th and 20th centuries AD from Lake Tsizavatsy in southwest Madagascar. Palaeoecology of Africa, 35: 309-315. DOI 10.1201/9781003162766-20.
  4. Razanatsoa E., Virah-Sawmy M., Woodborne S., Callanan C., Gillson L. 2021. Subsistence strategies adaptation of the Mikea foragers from Southwest Madagascar in the face of climate change. Malagasy Nature. Volume 15: 41–55. http://www.vahatra.mg/volume15/MN15_Chapitre%2003_Razanatsoa.pdf
  5. Julier A., Manzano S., Razanatsoa E., Razafimanantsoa A.H.I., Githumbi E., Hawthorne D., Oden G., Schüler L., Tossou M., Bunting M. J. 2021. Modern pollen studies from tropical Africa and their use in palaeoecology. Palaeoecology of Africa, 35: 317-347 DOI 10.1201/9781003162766-21
  6. Adler C.,Wester P., … Razanatsoa E., et al., 2022. Mountains. In International Panel on Climate change Working Group II:  Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Sixth Assessment Report Cross-Chapter Paper 5. In press

Popular articles

  1. Razanatsoa E. 2021.  How the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting conservation efforts in Madagascar. The Conversation Africa. July 2021. https://theconversation.com/the-covid-19-pandemic-is-affecting-conservation-efforts-in-madagascar-159849
  2. Colombaroli D., Coughlan M., Cui Q., Kulkarni C., Mistry J., Razanatsoa E. 2021. DiverseK – Integrating diverse knowledge systems for environmental policy. Past Global Changes Magazine, 29(1) https://doi.org/10.22498/pages.29.1.54
  3. Chevalier M., Colarossi D., Hare V. J., Henselowsky F., Martin-Jones C., Moorhouse H., Omuombo C., Quick L. J., Razanatsoa E., Ssemulende R., 2018.  Quaternary studies in Africa: a perspective from Early-Career Researchers. AFQUA-PAGES ECN meeting participants. Past Global Changes Magazine. 26(2), 82. https://doi.org/10.22498/pages.26.2.82
  4. Razanatsoa E., Ait Brahim Y., Schafstall N., 2017. Strategies for highlighting paleo research.  Past Global Changes Magazine∙25(2), 105. https://doi.org/10.22498/pages.25.2.105

Organised workshops

 

  1. Razanatsoa E., Razafimanantsoa, A.H.I., Randriantsara, F. & Past Global Changes DiverseK working group. 2022. Synergy between palaeo-scientists, and stakeholders for biodiversity conservation in Madagascar and its surrounding islands. 23-24 March 2022, Online. https://pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/27027
  2. Adolf, C, Marcisz, K., & Razanatsoa, E. 2021. Organised workshop entitled “Paleofire research: methods, development and opportunities”, in collaboration with Past Global Changes DiverseK working Group and International Paleofire Network. Virtual event, 26-27 May 2021, 70 participants. Detailed program can be found here: https://ipn.paleofire.org/?p=1045
  3. Davis, D., Hackel, J., Phelps, L., Razanatsoa, E., & Tiley, G. 2021. Organised workshop entitled “Holocene Grassy Biome of Madagascar”. Virtual event, 27-30 July 2021, 35 participants. Presentations available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg9ZJcTb6YPHkSJjMfVC1ow
  4. Razanatsoa E. & Raharimanana, C. 2017. Building science skills through volunteering”. Ikala STEM’s first workshop in Madagascar, Ikala STEM Annual Workshop 2017