•
National Parks and Natural Reserves
-
National Park, Montagne d’Ambre
is located in the northern most tip of the coastline, and offers a splendid display of waterfalls, lush forests, and a variety of lemurs. It is one of the island’s most visited attractions. Lush forest covers a large portion of the park, home to seven lemur species, including the fork-marked lemur which is endemic to the park. With over 20km of well kept trails the park is excellent for self-guided hikes. Birdwatchers will enjoy over 70 species of birds found in the park. In the most northern part of the park one can find Petit Lac, a small crater lake.
-
National Park Tsingy of Bemaraha
an UNESCO World Heritage site in Madagascar, is a vast area of limestone pinnacles, formed by wind and water of hundred’s of years; a bluish forest of peaks and sharp-edged stones, preserving a unique flora and a fauna in the world.
-
National Park d'Ankarafantsika
is home to eight lemur species including the mysterious mongoose lemur. Known for being great for bird watching the park has over 129 species.
-
National Park of Isalo
One of Madagascar’s most popular parks, the jurassic sandstone massifs make the National Park of Isalo a breathtaking spectacle.
-
National Park of Andringitra
is one of the most beautiful parks for walking and hiking. Peak Imarivolanitra is Madagascar’s second highest peak and is located in the park.
-
National Park of Ranomafana
was set up in 1986 to protect two species of lemurs, the golden bamboo lemur and the greater bamboo lemur. Ranomafana is spectacular for walking, hiking, and lemur spotting.
-
National Park Masoala
is the largest in Madagascar, comprising over 210,000 hectares of land.
-
National Park of Mananara-Nord
A bit more secluded than most the National Park of Mananara-Nord contains some of the last surviving lowland rain forests left in Madagascar. The park also offers a great opportunity to experience rural Malagasy culture as it is located in a tucked away rural area of region.
-
National Park Andasibe-Mantadia
Madagascar’s most popular reserve the National Park of Andasibe-Mantadia is know for its exceptional fauna and has good quality guides. Lemurs, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates inhabit the park making for a spectacle of wildlife.
-
Special Reserve Ankarana
home to the stunning Ankarana massif. The limestone pinnacles, or tsingy are found throughout making for easy viewing of lemurs and other inhabitants.
-
Special Reserve, Bezaha-Mahafaly
half sand and half spiny forest the special reserve of Beza-Mahafaly is home to Ring-tailed lemurs and the fat-tailed dwarf lemur as well as the rare large-eared Tenrec.
-
The Masoala Penninsula
hosts one of the most diverse virgin rainforests in Madagascar. It is rumoured to be home to the highest number of unidentified species.
-
Nosy Mangabe
The entire Reserve of Nosy Mangabe is a dense rain forest island off the main land of Madagascar. It is one of the best places to see aye-ayes and leaf-tailed geckos.
-
Private Reserve of Berenty
Around one-third of the tamarind gallery forest of Madagascar is found in the Private Reserve of Berenty and neighbouring Private Resof Bealoka.
• Biodiversity
The international conservation community has identified Madagascar as one of the ecologically richest countries on the planet. Madagascar has some of the highest biodiversity on the planet. Unique to the island are more than 50 types of lemurs, 99% of its frog species, and 36 genera of birds. Madagascar houses 100% of the world's lemurs, half of its chameleon species, 6% of its frogs, and none of its toads. Madagascar and the nearby Comoros have nearly one-quarter of all the flowering plants in Africa, while Madagascar has 90% of the known species of lemurs, half the world's chameleons as well as baobab trees, unique cacti and aloes. Some species found in Madagascar have their closest relatives not in Africa but in the South Pacific and South America.
- Flora
Madagascar is home to as many as 12,000 plant species, 70-80% of which are endemic, making it one of the most diverse floras on the planet.
- 10 families and 260 genera of plants are endemic to Madagascar. Only Australia (with 13) has more endemic species of plants
- 165 of Madagascar’s 170 palms are not found anywhere else. For comparison, mainland Africa has less than 60 species of palm
- Of the 8 species of baobab found in the world, six are endemic to Madagascar
- An entire family of plants, the Didiereaceae is unique to Madagascar. Didiereaceae plants are found in the arid southwest and closely resemble some forms of cacti. Unlike cacti though, they produce small deciduous leaves, which are protected by menacing thorns, and spines that grow directly out of the plant’s many branches
- 95% of the species found in the Spiny desert exist only in this habitat unique to Madagascar
- Madagascar has nearly 1000 known species of orchids, of which 85% are endemic
- Anti-cancer drugs (vincristine, vinblastine) derived from the Madagascar rosy periwinkle generated over a billion dollars in revenue for Eli Lilly & Co
-
Fauna
• Birds Madagascar has 258 bird species, 115 of which are endemic (with 36 endemic genera, Madagascar has more unique genera than any other African country). Madagascar also possesses 5 endemic families of birds.
• Frogs Madagascar is thought to have more than 300 species of frogs, 99% of which are endemic. Frogs are the only amphibians found in Madagascar - there are no toads, salamanders or newts.
• Lemurs Madagascar is world famous for its lemurs - primates that look something like a cat crossed with a squirrel and a dog. These animals are unique to the island and display a range of interesting behaviours from singing like a whale (the indri) to sashaying across the sand like a ballet dancer (the sifaka).
• Reptiles Madagascar is home to more than 300 species of reptiles of which over 90% are endemic (36 of the 64 genera found on the island are also found nowhere else). Madagascar’s reptile fauna includes lizards, snakes, turtles & tortoises, and crocodiles.
• Invertebrates Madagascar is home to a tremendous number of invertebrates. 80% of Madagascar’s spiders are reportedly endemic, while 418 species and subspecies have been described on the island (379 are endemic) but around 1,000 have been recorded to date.
•
Ecotourism - Conserving Madagascar
Eco and sustainable tourism are integral components of safeguarding Madagascar's natural and cultural environment. In 2003, at the World’s Park Conference, President Ravalomanana announced a bold plan to triple the size of protected areas. Protecting the country’s biodiversity and adopting sustainable programmes of development is also a key commitment in the
Madagascar Action Plan
The M A P is a bold, five-year plan, which establishes direction and priorities for the nation from 2007 to 2012. It states the commitments, strategies and actions that will ignite rapid growth, lead to the reduction of poverty, and ensure that the country develops in response to the challenges of globalization.
a five-year plan aligned with the
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world’s main development challenges. The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations-and signed by 147 heads of state and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000.
The 8 MDGs break down into 18 quantifiable targets that are measured by 48 indicators.
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
to tackle poverty and increase economic growth.
The environmental movement in Madagascar began in earnest in 1985, with an international conference of scientists, funding organizations, and Malagasy government officials. Biologists knew Madagascar was as an oasis of amazing creatures and plants, but devastation and the burning of Malagasy forests were threatening these treasures. Concerned International donors and the Malagasy government joined together to plan a major conservation program.
By 1989 Madagascar had the world’s first country-wide Environmental Action Plan, which offered a blueprint for biodiversity action for the next 20 years. The first order of the day was to create a national park system, called the Association Nationale pour la Gestion des Aires Protégées (ANGAP, National Association for the management of Protected Areas), and then set ANGAP to work on creating new parks and training new staff.
Much change has occurred – in 1985 there were two national parks in Madagascar and today there are over 14. During the first five years of the Environment Action Plan, five sites were chosen as integrated conservation and development projects. The national parks were officially mapped and registered, and teams were trained to work in them. Meanwhile the people living in and around each park were courted with alternatives to forest destruction, such as bee-keeping, fish farming, and tree farming.
In the late 1990s focus shifted from national parks to a more regional approach. This broader view started biological, botanical, and anthropological surveys in vast stretches of wilderness connecting the parks, especially concentrating on the southern forest corridor between Ranomafana and Andringitra and the northern forest corridor connecting Mantadia with Zahamena. This included mapping with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and setting up ecological monitoring.
•
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Initiatives to protect Madagascar’s unique biodiversity are echoed by a move to recognize more UNESCO World Heritage sites. On June 28 2007, the rainforests in the East of Madagascar were awarded World Heritage Site status, joining the National Park of Tsingy Bemaraha.
