Kalambatritra Special Reserve is a
wildlife reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologi ...
in southern
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
. It is to the north of
Andohahela National Park
The Andohahela National Park is situated in Anosy in the south-east of Madagascar. It is remarkable for the extremes of habitats that are represented within it. The park covers of the Anosy mountain range, the southernmost spur of the Malagasy H ...
, south-west of the
Manombo Special Reserve
Manombo Special Reserve is a wildlife reserve of Madagascar.
It is situated at the village Manombo, 27 km south from Farafangana from where it can be reached by the National road 12.
It covers 5320 ha and is situated along the coastline.
...
and contains many
endemic species
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
, including forty-five endemic bird species.
Geography
This reserve is within the commune of
Begogo, in
Anosy Region
Anosy is one of the 23 regions of Madagascar. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the eastern side of what was once the Toliara Province. The name ''Anosy'' means "island(s)" in Malagasy language, Malagasy.
Due to a strategic sea r ...
and east of
Betroka
Betroka is a hilly city (commune urbaine) in the Anosy Region in southern Madagascar, and is the source of the Onilahy River.
It is situated at the Route nationale 13 (Madagascar), Route nationale 13, Ihosy to Tolagnaro, at 118 km from Ihosy, ...
. The Kalambatritra massif is a series of undulating hills and steep summits and is part of the
Antaivondro-Kalambatritra mountain chain. The many small streams feed the
Ionaivo,
Mananara and
Mandrare rivers.
The dominant ethnic group in the area is the
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-herdi ...
.
Flora and fauna
The humid, evergreen forest is relatively undisturbed and divided into blocks with
savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
s of the coarse grass (''
Aristida imperata'') inbetween. Among the 699 species of plants so far recorded on the reserve, two
families
Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
are endemic; the
Torricelliaceae
The Torricelliaceae are a family of trees native to Madagascar and southwest Asia. It contains three genera, '' Aralidium'', '' Melanophylla'' and '' Torricellia''. Under the APG II system, each of these genera was placed in its own family, but w ...
, including ''
Melanophylla alnifolia'' and the
Sarcolaenaceae
The Sarcolaenaceae are a family of flowering plants endemic to Madagascar. The family includes 79 species of mostly evergreen trees and shrubs in ten genera.
Recent DNA studies indicate that the Sarcolaenaceae are a sibling taxon to the family ...
including ''
Leptolaena pauciflora'', which, according to the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
(IUCN) is an
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
on the
IUCN Red List
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 an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
.
Seventy-four species of birds are known from the reserve, of which forty-five are endemic.
They are all listed as of
least concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...
except
Meller's duck
Meller's duck (''Anas melleri'') is a species of the dabbling duck genus ''Anas''. It is endemic to eastern Madagascar. Although a population was established on Mauritius in the mid-18th century, this is on the verge of extinction due to habitat ...
(''Anas melleri''), which is listed as
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
and the
wedge-tailed jery
The wedge-tailed jery (''Hartertula flavoviridis'') is a small bird endemic to the east of Madagascar. The species has been the cause of some taxonomic confusion, it was originally placed with the jeries in the genus ''Neomixis'' (Cisticolidae) b ...
(''Neomixis flavoviridis''),
Madagascar yellowbrow
The Madagascan yellowbrow (''Crossleyia xanthophrys''), also known as the yellow-browed oxylabes, is a species of Malagasy warbler, formerly placed in the family Sylviidae. Found only in Madagascar, it is the sole member of the genus ''Crossleyi ...
(''Crossleyia xanthophrys''),
Grey-crowned Tetraka (''Bernieria cinereiceps''),
Pollen's Vanga
Pollen's vanga (''Xenopirostris polleni'') is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is endemic to eastern Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. ...
(''Xenopirostris polleni'') and
Rufous-headed ground roller (''Atelornis crossleyi'') which are all listed as
near threatened
A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...
.
Lemurs
Lemurs ( ; from Latin ) are wet-nosed primates of the superfamily Lemuroidea ( ), divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Most existing lemurs are s ...
found on the reserve are listed below.
Threats
Growing rice and cutting wood for construction and cooking are the main threats to the area.
See also
*
List of national parks of Madagascar
The national parks of Madagascar include all officially recognized protected areas as of 2015. The protected areas network of Madagascar is managed by the Madagascar National Parks Association (PNM-ANGAP). The network includes three types of prote ...
References
External links
Kalambatritra Special Reserve
ex
{{authority control
1959 establishments in Madagascar
Anosy
Special reserves of Madagascar
Protected areas established in 1959
Madagascar subhumid forests
Important Bird Areas of Madagascar
Ihorombe