Discover a new way to travel by embarking on a botanical expedition.
She is a scientific illustrator, he a botanist. The naturalists of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, Agathe and Thomas Haevermans, combine their talents to explore the flora at the end of the world. In partnership with Nomade Aventure, they offer the general public the opportunity to accompany them on their journeys. A look back at the first expedition of this type that they carried out in the north of Madagascar last November.
What did you discover during your trip to northern Madagascar?
TH: We harvested a plant never before officially identified. That was actually the scientific goal of our expedition. We came across it on day one, arriving in Antsiranana, also known as Diego-Suarez, a port city in northern Madagascar. It was planted right in front of our hotel. I can’t describe it precisely to you yet: you have to wait for it to be the subject of a scientific publication, otherwise someone else could make this discovery their own.
AH: It’s a huge plant, almost a tree, with fruits weighing several kilos. It is used by the local population for construction and food. I am very moved to have participated in its discovery, which will probably bear my name: agatheae.
You first shared an expedition with non-scientists; how did you experience it?
TH: It’s very different from our usual missions. There is a program to follow, the pace is more sustained. The expectations of participants are not the same as those of scientists: they want to discover as much as possible in a minimum of time.
AH: This type of project is very interesting. Travelers signed up to discover Madagascar, but also the work of a botanist and an illustrator. So they were delighted to see Thomas put together the herbarium intended to collect our new discovery. The group was surprised that a plant very common to the local population could be unknown to scientists. They thus retained a great principle of botany: as long as things are not named, they do not exist.
Why did you choose Madagascar for this first organized trip?
AH: The landscapes there are unique and astonishing. For this first circuit, we traveled north, discovering very dry regions. Our focus was the gray tsingy and the red tsingy, impressive rock forests originating from corals that mineralized when the sea receded millions of years ago.
TH: In this arid landscape, succulents from the Euphorbias family have adapted to living on stones. They take centuries to grow and can reach several tens of meters. They are very popular with collectors; they are sold in all markets across the country. But these euphorbias rarely survive their cultivation. The flora of Madagascar is 85% endemic; these plants are not found anywhere else. Some grow only on a particular mountain or group of rocks. They evolved in an isolated environment, a rare situation found, for example, in Australia, South Africa, or New Caledonia.
What are the main threats weighing on this very particular vegetation?
TH: That of man essentially. The cause is traditional, semi-nomadic and slash-and-burn agriculture, the harvesting of precious wood (rosewood and ebony) and poaching. Climate change adds to all of this. In one of the parks we visited, two thousand-year-old baobabs had just been destroyed by a cyclone.
AH: These trees are also weakened by local populations, convinced of the medicinal benefits of their bark. They are thus injured and, unfortunately, not replanted. Conversely, some foreign species, used for coal, wood and agriculture, such as Australian eucalyptus, Mexican pine and African grasses, become invasive.
What inspired you to share your experience with the general public?
TH: It was an opportunity to appreciate my work as a botanist, which is largely unknown. Questions I get asked a lot – « How do I treat my ficus that is losing its leaves? » – are far from the realities of the profession.
AH: We like to pass on our passion. I have been drawing for fifteen years and giving scientific illustration lessons. I also created the French Society of Botanical Illustration.
What were the profiles of the trip participants?
TH: There were seven of us. There was a filmmaker, lovers of drawing or plants… and even our son, aged 11, used to following us on our expeditions.
AH: Members worked in professions that often had nothing to do with botany and not all of them practiced drawing. But everyone got involved! Our trip was designed to accommodate the less sporty. Our longest walk consisted of crossing the forest for six hours to reach the tsingy. In the evening we slept at the hotel. We only spent one night in the tent, a much appreciated moment, listening to the birdsong.
What will be your next group trip, and on what theme?
AH: We will go to Madagascar again, and on the same theme of illustration and botany, but this time connecting the north to the east of the country.
TH: We could expand to destinations whose flora I know well: Indonesia, on the small Sunda Islands, but also Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
Do you have any advice for travelers who would like to embark on a botanical expedition alone?
TH: We don’t need anyone to observe nature. But to harvest plants, you must hold special permits, which are only issued to scientists. Getting them can take several years.
AH: For drawing, it is better to bring a light, multi-pocket bag, and put a camera, a hardcover notebook, to lean on when there is no other support, pencils, a few pens and markers. For color, you can take watercolors and a small bottle of water.
Are you passionate about traveling outside of your scientific expeditions?
TH: Luckily I love traveling, I go on missions ten times a year! But apart from these, I take time to maintain our small family garden.
AH: For my part, I enjoy meeting different people and cultures. And eat improbable things! It helps me redefine the sense of normalcy and everyday life. During our family vacations, we do not do botany or drawing. On the contrary, we seek disconnection. In the southwest of France, there remain isolated natural areas without a telephone network where we like to meet.
Mark.