| 5 | 1997/05/30
| With about 30,000 inhabitants, and located at the crossroads between two distinguishable sub spaces, the town [of Ambatolampy] was originally built on a hill 1610m in height. The construction of National road N7 channelled growth in a downward direction along the road which had to be built along the orographical arrangement. This resulted in a town morphology dislocated into 2 parts, separated by a small valley of 50 hectares which are occupied by rice fields. |
| 6 | 1997/05/30
| ANGAP's mandate is to sustainable manage protected areas which are the sites for conservation, education and recreation, and which may contribute to the development of surrounding communities. They receive 50% of all entrance fees which are used to finance micro projects directly benefiting these local communities. |
| 7 | 1997/05/30
| Pr. Michel Petit explained the orogenesis of the precambrian bed rock of the Highlands This was done in front of the perched synclinal called "Casque de Behenjy" (Behenjy Cap). This is a complex substratum in which migmatites, gneiss and micaschists alternate, and which presents ectinic characters The ectinites are well preserved in a beautiful disymetric perched synclinal, owing to a beautiful blade of a concordant migmatic granite The Malagasy name is Iharanandriana which means "The nobles's rock barrier". This structural accident contains the tombs of the princes of the region on its summit. |
| 8 | 1997/05/30
| The Fiherenana watershed, at an altitude between 500 - 750 m, is characterized by hillsides divided by more or less wide valleys. It is under intensive exploitation ranging from itinerant slash and burn agriculture (tavy) to diversified permanent cultivations. |
| 9 | 1997/05/30
| The last stop permitted observation of the Lavaka phenomenon from a scientific view point. It is a spectacular type of erosion that effects the hill slopes of the Malagasy highlands. Its morphology results from three causes: ablation, transport and deposit. The formation process, the different evolution stages, the correlation between the top (generally of a quasi-circular form) and the bottom (flared or looking like a long and narrow draining gully) were evoked. Lavaka formation and evolution are closely related to the contrasting and agressive tropical climate characteristics which act upon regions with steep slopes and with fragile instable vegetation due to human activites and fire. |
