Analavelona, also known as Analavelona Massif, is a mountain in southwestern Madagascar. The massif is home to an enclave of montane subhumid forest, which is considered a sacred forest by the local people and notable for its

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity' ...

Geography

Analavelona is located in

Sakaraha District Sakaraha is a district located in Atsimo-Andrefana Region, south-western Madagascar. Communes The district is further divided into 11 communes: * Ambinany * Amboronabo * Andalamasina Vineta * Andranolava * Bereketa * Mahaboboka * Miary Lamati ...

of Atsimo-Andrefana region of Madagascar, west-northwest of the town of Sakaraha. The massif extends generally northeast–southwest, with steep slopes incised by stream valleys. The highest peak is Mitsinjoriake at 1325 meters elevation.Alandraza Analavelo Site #92
''Protected Areas of Madagascar''. Accessed 19 November 2022. The massif is surrounded by a mostly arid

peneplain 390px, Sketch of a hypothetical peneplain formation after an orogeny. In geomorphology and geology, a peneplain is a low-relief plain formed by protracted erosion. This is the definition in the broadest of terms, albeit with frequency the usage ...

. The southeastern slope receives more orographic precipitation than the surrounding region, and the higher rainfall sustains subhumid forests. Rivers including the Fiherenana, which flows in the southeast, rise from springs on the mountain.

Flora and fauna

The forests of Analavelona are a southwestern outlier of

Madagascar subhumid forests The Madagascar subhumid forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion that covers most of the Central Highlands of the island of Madagascar. They are included in the WWF's Global 200 list of outstanding ecoregions. Most of the origi ...

, which cover the highlands of central Madagascar. The forests are surrounded at lower elevations by semi-arid succulent woodlands. The nearest subhumid forests to Analavelona are on Isalo Massif, about 100 km to the east. Analavelona is home to plants and animals characteristic of the subhumid forests, as well as some

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

species found only on the mountain. The varied elevation, climate, and soil composition on the massif supports diverse plant communities. The lower slopes are home to dense humid evergreen forest. The humid evergreen forests are tall and stratified, and canopy trees include species of ''

Uapaca ''Uapaca'' is a genus of plant, in the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1858. It is the only genus comprised in the tribe Uapaceae. The genus is native to Africa and Madagascar. ''Uapaca'' is dioecious, with male and fem ...

'' and ''

Dalbergia ''Dalbergia'' is a large genus of small to medium-size trees, shrubs and lianas in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Dalbergia'' clade (or tribe): the Dalbergieae. Th ...

'', with abundant

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ...

s and

strangler fig Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species in the genus ''Ficus'', including those that are commonly known as banyans. Some of the more well-known species are: * ''Ficus altissima'' * ''Ficus aurea'', ...

s. Dense sclerophyllous montane forests are found on the plateau and upper slopes, and generally have an open understory. There is xerophilous brushland on rocky slopes, with species of '' Dracaena'' and '' Aloe''. The forests and brushland are interspersed with areas of grassland. The forest is home to several rare and limited-range plants. '' Spondias tefyi'' is a species of tree found only in the Analavelona forests and the deciduous forests of Zombitse about 50 km to the southeast.Mitchell, J. D., Daly, D. C., & Randrianasolo, A. (2012). The first report of Spondias native to Madagascar: Spondias tefyi, sp. nov. (Anacardiaceae). ''Brittonia'', 64(3), 263–267. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23254063 ''

Dalbergia hirticalyx ''Dalbergia hirticalyx'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in Madagascar. It is threatened by habitat loss. Description ''Dalbergia hirticalyx'' is a large tree which grows to 29 meters tall. It flowers in Septemb ...

'' is a large forest tree found in the Analavelona forest, with smaller populations in Zombitse and in Bongolava in central Madagascar. Other native plants include '' Aloe analavelonensis, Euphorbia analavelonensis'', and '' Pseudodicliptera humilis''. Birds present include the green jery (''Neomixis viridis''), forest fody (''Foudia omissa'') and spectacled tetraka (''Phyllastrephus zosterops''), which are characteristic of the subhumid forests. Appert's tetraka (''Phyllastrephus apperti'') is found only here and in the Zombitse forests.BirdLife International (2022)
Important Bird Areas factsheet: Analavelona NPA
Accessed 19 November 2022. Native mammals include Verreaux's sifaka (''Propithecus verreauxi''),

ring-tailed lemur The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families, and is the only member of the ''Lemur'' g ...

(''Lemur catta''),

Zombitse sportive lemur Hubbard's sportive lemur (''Lepilemur hubbardorum''), or the Zombitse sportive lemur, is a sportive lemur endemic to Madagascar. It has total length of about , of which are tail. Hubbard's sportive lemur is found north of the Onilahy River and s ...

(''Lepilemur hubbardorum''), pale fork-marked lemur (''Phaner pallescens''), red-fronted brown lemur (''Eulemur rufifrons''), and the carnivore

fossa Fossa may refer to: Animals * Fossa (animal), the common name of a carnivoran mammal of genus ''Cryptoprocta'' endemic to Madagascar * ''Fossa'', the Latin genus name of the Malagasy civet, a related but smaller mammal endemic to Madagascar Pla ...

(''Cryptoprocta ferox''). The Analavelona wood-millipede ('' Hylekobolus analavelona'') and Analavelona giant pill-millipede ('' Zoosphaerium analavelona'')Rudolf, E. & Wesener, T. 2017. ''Zoosphaerium analavelona''.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

2017: e.T65524334A65527840. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T65524334A65527840.en. Accessed 19 November 2022. are endemic to Analavelona Massif.

Conservation

The Analavelona Forest, also known as Alandraza Analavelo, is considered a sacred forest by the local

Bara people The Bara people are a Malagasy ethnic group living in the southern part of the central plateaus of Madagascar, in the Toliara Province, concentrated around their historic capital at Ihosy. The Bara are the largest of the island's zebu-herd ...

, for whom the forest has high social and cultural value as well as being a source of timber, food, and other forest products. A community-based management program, assisted by the

Missouri Botanical Garden The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 6.6 million ...

's Madagascar Conservation Program, has been managing the forest for over a decade.Beech, E., Rivers, M., Rabarimanarivo, M., Ravololomanana, N., Manjato, N., Lantoarisoa, F., Andriambololonera, S., Ramandimbisoa, B., Ralimanana, H., Rakotoarisoa, S., Razanajatovo , H., Razafiniary, V., Andriamanohera, A., Randrianasolo, V., Rakotonasolo, F., Rakotoarisoa, A., Randriamamonjy, N., Rajaovelona, L., Rakotomalala, N., Randriamboavonjy, T., Rajaonah, M., Rabehevitra, D., Ramarosandratana, A.V., Rakotoarinivo, M., B.H. Ravaomanalina and Jeannoda, V. (2021). ''Red List of Trees of Madagascar''. BGCI. Richmond, UK. The forest was designated a classified forest by the Government of Madagascar. On 28 April 2015 (Decree No. 2015-766) the government designated the forest a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, na ...

, officially the ''Monument Naturel de la Forêt Sacrée Alandraza Analavelo'' (Alandraza Analavelo Sacred Forest Natural Monument), with an area of 44.87 km². It is also proposed as a

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

.UNEP-WCMC (2022)
Protected Area Profile for Analavelona
from the World Database on Protected Areas. Accessed 19 November 2022.

References

{{reflist Madagascar subhumid forests Atsimo-Andrefana Forests of Atsimo-Andrefana Important Bird Areas of Madagascar Protected areas of Madagascar Sacred sites in traditional African religions Natural monuments