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NB: Lilian Unger completed her PhD in 2023.
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Research Title
Using Palaeolimnology to inform freshwater restoration in Madagascar
- More about Lilian
Education
- MSc Aquatic Science, University College London
- BSc Biology, University of Bristol
Past Projects
- Using macrofossils to reconstruct vegetation change over 90,000 years from a sediment core taken from Welsby Lagoon, North Stradbroke Island, Australia (MSc Dissertation)
- Testing the effect of initial inorganic phosphorus availability on the tolerance of听Scenedesmus听sp., a green algae, to zinc toxicity in the context of evaluating the use of this species in bioremediation (BSc Dissertation).
- Publications
Paper:听 Cadd, H.R., Tibby, J., Barr, C., Tyler, J., Unger, L., Leng, M.J., Marshall, J.C., McGregor, G., Lewis, R., Arnold, L.J., Lewis, T. and Baldock, J., (2018). Development of a southern hemisphere subtropical wetland (Welsby Lagoon, south-east Queensland, Australia) through the last glacial cycle.听Quaternary Science Reviews, 202, 53-65.
- Research Interests
Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot with high levels of endemism, however, many of its species are now threatened. Madagascar鈥檚 wetlands specifically have become heavily degraded as a result of stressors such as fertiliser and pesticide run-off, siltation and the introduction of invasive species. This project aims to use palaeolimnology to determine the effect of these different stressors as well as establishing pre-disturbance reference conditions for Madagascar鈥檚 freshwater systems. Specifically, this project will take sediment cores from lakes related to the Madagascar Pochard, the world鈥檚 rarest duck.
Thought to be extinct, in 2006 a small population was rediscovered in an isolated volcanic crater lake called Matsaborimena in the North-West. Since, successful captive breeding efforts by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust see individuals ready to be released at a new, relatively nearby site, called Lake Sofia. This lake was identified as the most suitable habitat for the Madagascar Pochard currently in Madagascar, although, restoration work is still needed to ensure its survival there.
Methodology
Sediment cores will be taken from Lake Matsaborimena, Sofia and Aloatra, where the Pochard used to live in greater numbers. Diatom, macrofossil and geochemical analyses will be used to determine the environmental change and extent of degradation in each of these lakes over the last few hundred years.
- Impact
The project will help inform the restoration work being done at Lake Sofia, where in late 2018 the Madagascar Pochard was reintroduced. It will also provide information about the conservation requirements of Lake Matsaborimena and Aloatra. Inferences from these lake records can also be used to inform the restoration and conservation of other lakes and their catchments across Madagascar.
Consequently, this project has great potential to inform environmental policy in Madagascar, especially in the absence of long-term monitoring data for guidance. It will also provide an important contribution to the so far limited use of palaeolimnology outside of temperate environments.
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