The Madagascar dry deciduous forests represent a

tropical dry forest The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

situated in the western and northern part of

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 ...

. The area has high numbers of

endemic 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 ...

plant and animal species but has suffered large-scale clearance for agriculture. They are among the world's richest and most distinctive dry forests and included in the

Global 200 The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or w ...

ecoregions by the World Wide Fund. The area is also home to distinctive limestone

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

formations known as tsingy, including the

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

of Bemaraha.

Geography

There are two separate areas within the ecoregion: the western side of Madagascar from the Ampasindava peninsula in the north to Belo-sur-Tsiribihina and Maromandia in the south (this is most of

Mahajanga Province Mahajanga was a former provinces of Madagascar, province of Madagascar that had an area of 150,023 km2. It had a population of 1,896,000 (2004). Its capital was Mahajanga, the second largest city in Madagascar. Except for Fianarantsoa Provi ...

); and the northern tip of the island (apart from the high areas of Amber Mountain). Geological substrate is varied and includes the tsingy limestone massifs. These dry deciduous forests span the

coastal plain A coastal plain (also coastal plains, coastal lowland, coastal lowlands) is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and an upland area. Formation Coastal plains can f ...

with its

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

s emanating virtually at sea level to higher altitudes to roughly . The area includes wetlands and grasslands (mostly created by forest clearance for agriculture) as well as dry forests characterized by a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

extending to a height of . Climate is tropical, with summer daytime temperatures commonly exceeding , and a wet season between October and April.

Rainfall Rain is a form of precipitation where water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. ...

, ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 mm, is more abundant than in the spiny thickets and succulent woodlands, but lower than in the eastern lowland rainforests.

Flora

While the absolute number of plant species is lower than in the eastern rainforests of the island, the dry deciduous forests of Madagascar have a higher ratio of

species. Trees have adapted to the dry climate by shedding leaves in the dry winter season to limit

evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration (ET) refers to the combined processes which move water from the Earth's surface (open water and ice surfaces, bare soil and vegetation) into the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of w ...

. Moreover, some species like

baobab ''Adansonia'' is a genus of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs ( or ). The eight species of ''Adansonia'' are native to Africa, Australia, and Madagascar but have also been introduced to other regions of the world, including Barb ...

s and ''

Moringa Moringa may refer to: * ''Moringa'' (genus), a genus of plants * ''Moringa oleifera ''Moringa oleifera'' is a short-lived, fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to northern India and used extensively in South ...

'' have adapted by evolving the ability to store copious water in their large bulbous trunks. Four species of baobabs, including three endemics ('' Adansonia grandidieri'', '' A. madagascariensis'' and '' A. suarezensis'') occur in this ecoregion. Other notable tree species include flamboyant tree (''Delonix regia''), ''

Pachypodium ''Pachypodium'' is a genus of succulent spine-bearing trees and shrubs, native to Madagascar and Africa. It belongs to the family Apocynaceae. Genus characteristics All ''Pachypodium'' are succulent plants that exhibit, to varying degrees, the ...

'' species, and several

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

and

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...

. Forest understory plants include '' Lissochilus'' orchids such as Oeceoclades calcarata, a large, cool growing, showy, terrestrial orchid which grows at medium elevation (1000 to 2000 meters) in western Madagascar. Its habitat is semi-arid and it is found growing in sandy or rocky soils in dry moss and lichen forests.

Fauna

One characteristic in common with other

tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat (ecology), habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-roun ...

is the presence of relatively high densities of mammalian biomass. Several of Madagascar's characteristic

lemur Lemurs ( ; from Latin ) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea ( ), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are Endemism, ...

species are found here including the

fat-tailed dwarf lemur The fat-tailed dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus medius''), also known as the lesser dwarf lemur, western fat-tailed dwarf lemur, or spiny forest dwarf lemur, is endemic to Madagascar. The fat-tailed dwarf lemur is long from its head to the end of i ...

, five subspecies of '' Propithecus'', three species of '' Lepilemur'', and five species of '' Microcebus''. Endemic mammals include three endangered species, golden-crowned sifaka (''Propithecus tattersalli'') and Perrier's sifaka (''Propithecus diadema perrieri'') and western forest rat ('' Nesomys lambertoni'') as well as

mongoose lemur The mongoose lemur (''Eulemur mongoz'') is a small primate in the family Lemuridae, native to Madagascar and introduced to the Comoros, Comoros Islands. These arboreal animals have pointed faces, long, bushy tails, dark-brown upper parts, pale be ...

(''Eulemur mongoz''), golden-brown mouse lemur (''Microcebus ravelobensis''), northern rufous mouse lemur (''M. tavaratra''), pygmy mouse lemur (''M. myoxinus''), Milne-Edwards' sportive lemur (''Lepilemur edwardsi''), and greater big-footed mouse (''Macrotarsomys ingens''). As well as lemurs the dry forests are home to the island's largest predator, the fossa (''Cryptoprocta ferox'') and some smaller

carnivorans Carnivora ( ) is an Order (biology), order of Placentalia, placental mammals specialized primarily in eating flesh, whose members are formally referred to as carnivorans. The order Carnivora is the sixth largest order of mammals, comprising at ...

. The lakes and rivers of the dry forest region are homes to most of Madagascar's bird species. Among reptiles, many

chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (Family (biology), family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this Family (biology), family are best known for ...

and

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

species occur here, as well as the Madagascar sideneck turtle and the critically endangered ploughshare tortoise.

Threats and conservation

Most dry forests have already been destroyed by human action, especially near the Central Highlands. The remaining forest is severely fragmented. Burning, grazing, and logging are the major threats, and

siltation Siltation is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary o ...

, overfishing and

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

impact the wetlands. Some species such as lemurs suffer from hunting. 5.79% of the ecoregion is in

protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

. They include: * Ankarafantsika National Park * Baie de Baly National Park * Bemaraha National Park * Montagne d'Ambre National Park * Namoroka National Park * Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve * Ambohijanahary Reserve * Analamerana Special Reserve * Ankarana Special Reserve * Bemarivo Reserve * Bora Reserve * Kasijy Special Reserve * Maningoza Reserve * Manongarivo Reserve * Tampoketsa Analamaitso Special Reserve

Particular localities

Ankarana Special Reserve

The Ankarana Massif consists of a limestone shelf which imposes a picturesque land-form on the few adventurers who find this remote forest. As the limestone has weathered over geologic time, this

formation often exhibits spiry

pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was main ...

s, called " tsingy" locally. The name derives from the Malagasy word which means "walk on tiptoe", used by the earliest

settler A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

s from around 1500 years ago to describe the sharpness of the rugged limestone shelves. There are an abundance of limestone

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

s and virgin forests that shelter the diverse

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introdu ...

of the Ankarana region. In places the cave roofs have collapsed to form isolated forests and the vegetation of the gorges is also protected by the topography. Subterranean rivers provide a natural perennial irrigation system. The Ankarana Special Reserve is one of the northernmost reaches of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests, and is very hot from December through March with this equatorial proximity. Access to wildlife viewing is through strenuous hiking, given the elevation differences, complex terrain and heat, but

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

vehicles can reach most of the actual campsites. Below the massif, and to the west, is a grassy savannah-with-palms that leads to the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

. Within the massif, Lac Vert is found among tsingy formations. Mammals found in this forest include the

apex predator An apex predator, also known as a top predator or superpredator, is a predator at the top of a food chain, without natural predators of its own. Apex predators are usually defined in terms of trophic dynamics, meaning that they occupy the hig ...

fossa (''Cryptoprocta ferox''), the fanaloka (''Fossa fossana''), northern ring-tailed mongoose and numerous

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

species. Lemurs occurring here include the

crowned lemur The crowned lemur (''Eulemur coronatus'') is a lemur that is long and weighs . Its tail is about long. Description The crowned lemur is endemic to the dry deciduous forests of the northern tip of Madagascar. It eats a diet of mostly flowers, f ...

, northern sportive lemur, gray mouse lemur, Sanford's brown lemur and the

aye-aye The aye-aye (''Daubentonia madagascariensis'') is a long-fingered lemur, a Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar with rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger that they can use to catch grubs ...

. Numerous

s inhabit the reserve including the Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko, big-headed gecko and day gecko. Other local

reptile Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...

s are the Madagascar ground boa, the white-lipped chameleon (''Furcifer minor'') and Oustalet's chameleon, the world's largest chameleon, which can attain 68 centimetres in length. Some bird species commonly seen are the

hook-billed vanga The hook-billed vanga (''Vanga curvirostris'') is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical o ...

, Madagascar pygmy kingfisher, crested coua, white-breasted mesite and Madagascar ibis. Raptors sighted in the reserve include the Madagascar harrier-hawk and the Madagascar scops owl. Other avafauna occurring here include red-capped coua and Coquerel's coua, and the vangas Van Dam's vanga, rufous vanga and sickle-billed vanga. Vangas are significant in Madagascar, as 15 of the 16 vanga species are endemic to Madagascar. The greater vasa parrot and Madagascar green pigeon are also indigenous. An important endangered species, the Madagascar fish eagle, has a number of breeding pairs located in the Ankarana Reserve.

Anjajavy Forest

Anjajavy Forest is an example of a purely lowland dry deciduous forest in northwest Madagascar. It is punctuated with numerous tsingy outcroppings and limestone

caves, and in many locations abuts the

, especially where the dramatic tsingy formations jut out into the ocean. The canopy height is typically 15 to 25 meters high, and is at its lowest at the coastal verge, where growth may be impeded by saline rocky soils. The forest resides on a small

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

of land poking into the Indian Ocean, that is bounded on the north and part of its eastern extent by the Bay of Narinda and on the south by the Bay of Majajamba. Access to this forest is difficult since there are no roads connecting this peninsula to the Madagascar highway system; however, arrival by sea and by air are accomplished with some effort. In many places at the ocean edge as well as forest interior, several tree species are capable of taking root directly in the tsingy rocks. Several species of baobab and

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...

are among the tallest species forming the canopy. Considering the lower

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

rates on the west coast (about 1,300 mm per annum at Anjajavy Forest), the vegetation is surprisingly verdant in the beginning of the dry season, but eventually will become mostly leafless by late winter. The forest understory is moderately dense but not impenetrable. Nor is the understory heavily thorned in most locations. The Anjajavy Forest is named for a kind of '' Salvadora'' species, the '' jajavy'' tree, which might be endemic only to the forest itself. Abundant diurnal lemurs that are found here include the

Coquerel's sifaka Coquerel's sifaka (''Propithecus coquereli'') is a Diurnality, diurnal, medium-sized lemur of the sifaka genus ''Sifaka, Propithecus''. It is native to northwest Madagascar. Coquerel's sifaka was once considered a subspecies of Verreaux's sifaka ...

and the common brown lemur. Three nocturnal species of mouse lemur are seen, but their precise species are yet to be documented. A large variety of birds are present including the

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 ...

Madagascar fish eagle, which has four (of the approximately 99 known) breeding pairs resident in Anjajavy Forest. Other birdlife present are the

sacred ibis The African sacred ibis (''Threskiornis aethiopicus'') is a species of ibis, a wading bird of the family Threskiornithidae. It is native to much of Africa, as well as small parts of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait. It is especially known for its role in ...

, crested coua,

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

s and Madagascar wagtail. Butterflies include the magpie crow. Numerous

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

s and

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

s populate the forest and are easily seen from the sparse

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

network. The dry forest is invaded by fingers of

mangrove swamp Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangrove trees cannot withs ...

in the form of

riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripari ...

s at several small coastal

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

at the western verge of the Anjajavy Forest, where small tidal streams flow into the Indian Ocean. The species of the mangrove swamps are, of course, totally different from the dry forest, and the transition zone supports an interesting

ecotone An ecotone is a transitional area between two plant communities, where these meet and integrate. Examples include areas between grassland and forest, estuaries and lagoon, freshwater and sea water etc. An ecotone may be narrow or wide, and it ma ...

, providing unusual niches for several species of animals.

References

{{reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite book, last1=Crowley , first1=H. , chapter=33 – Madagascar Dry Deciduous Forests , editor-last1=Burgess , editor-first1=N. , editor-last2=D'Amico Hales , editor-first2=J. , editor-last3=Underwood , editor-first3=E. , editor-last4=Dinerstein , editor-first4=E. , editor-last5=Olson , editor-first5=D. , editor-last6=Itoua , editor-first6=Illanga , editor-last7=Schipper , editor-first7=J. , editor-last8=Ricketts , editor-first8=T. , editor-last9=Newman , editor-first9=K. , display-editors=3 , year=2004 , title=Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment , series=World Wildlife Fund Ecoregion Assessments , edition=2nd , publisher=Island Press , location=Washington D.C. , isbn=978-1559633642 , url=http://www.easternarc.or.tz/groups/webcontent/documents/pdf/Ecoregions_Book.pdf , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101165430/http://www.easternarc.or.tz/groups/webcontent/documents/pdf/Ecoregions_Book.pdf , archive-date=2016-11-01 , pages=276–278 , url-status=dead Nick Garbutt, ''Mammals of Madagascar'', Pica Press (1999) Nick Garbutt, Hilary Bradt and Derek Schuurman, ''Madagascar Wildlife'', Globe Pequot Press (2001) Nick Garbutt, Hilton Hastings, Wendy Pollecutt, C. Michael Hogan, Tahiana Andriaharimalala, ''Anjajavy, the village and the forest''. May, 2006 Gemma Pitcher and Patricia C. Wright, ''Madagascar and Comoros'', {{ISBN, 1-74104-100-7 {{cite journal , last = Wilson , first = J.M., year = 1989 , title = Ecology and Conservation of the Crowned Lemur at Ankarana, N. Madagascar with notes on Sanford's Lemur, Other Sympatrics and Subfossil Lemurs , journal = Folia Primatologica , volume = 52 , issue = 1–2, pages = 1–26 , doi=10.1159/000156379, display-authors=etal , pmid = 2807091 {{cite book , last = Wilson , first = Jane , title = Lemurs of the Lost World: exploring the forests and Crocodile Caves of Madagascar , year = 2013 , publisher = Impact, London , isbn = 978-1-874687-48-1 , pages = 216

External links

Ankarana Reserve, Parcs et reserves de Madagascar, le site officiel

Anjajavy Forest Google satellite map

Ecoregions of Madagascar Forests of Madagascar Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Boeny Melaky Menabe Diana Region Sofia Region Betsiboka