Ambatovaky Special Reserve is a tropical rainforest and

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, or features of geological or o ...

in the north-east of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

(). It is designated by Bird Life International as an Important Bird Area for the large number of

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 else ...

species of birds.

Geography

This remote reserve ranges from the north-east coast of Madagascar to the Analamerana karstic plateau with elevations to in the

Soanierana Ivongo District Soanierana Ivongo is a district, which is a part of Analanjirofo Region, Madagascar. The population of the district was estimated to be 143,687 for 2018. Communes The district is further divided into nine communes: * Ambinanisakana * Ambahoab ...

Analanjirofo Analanjirofo is a region in northeastern Madagascar. Until 2009 it was a part of Toamasina Province. It borders Sava Region to the north, Sofia Region to the west, Alaotra-Mangoro Region to the southwest and Atsinanana Region to the south. The ...

region. It is between the

Marimbona The Marimbona river is located in northern Madagascar and crosses the Route Nationale 5 near Soanierana Ivongo. It has its springs near Andilamena (Alaotra Mangoro), forms the southern border of the Ambatovaky Reserve, passes Andapafito and flo ...

river, which forms the southern border, and Simianona river which forms the northern border. The reserve headquarters are in

Soanierana Ivongo Soanierana Ivongo is a rural municipality in Madagascar. It belongs to the Districts of Madagascar, district of Soanierana Ivongo District, Soanierana Ivongo, which is a part of Analanjirofo Region. The population of the commune was estimated to ...

and the park is only accessible by canoe along the Marimbona River.

Flora and fauna

The reserve is mainly covered by dense deciduous dry forest and is the last place for the critically endangered

lemur Lemurs ( ) (from Latin ''lemures'' – ghosts or spirits) 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 Madagas ...

Perrier's sifaka Perrier's sifaka (''Propithecus perrieri'') is a lemur endemic to Madagascar. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of diademed sifaka It has a very small range in northeastern Madagascar where its habitat is dry deciduous or semihumid fo ...

(''Propithecus perrieri''). There are five other species of lemurs found on the reserve. Four have been given the

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservatio ...

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 and in ...

by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

(IUCN) and one, the red-bellied lemur ('' Eulemur rubriventer'') is a

vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Vulnera ...

. The four endangered species are the aye-aye ('' Daubentonia madagascariensis''), Indri (''

Indri indri The indri (; ''Indri indri''), also called the babakoto, is one of the largest living lemurs, with a head-body length of about and a weight of between . It has a black and white coat and maintains an upright posture when climbing or clinging. ...

''), Diademed sifaka (''

Propithecus diadema The diademed sifaka (''Propithecus diadema''), or diademed simpona, is an endangered species of sifaka, one of the lemurs endemic to certain rainforests in eastern Madagascar. Along with the indri, this species is one of the two largest living l ...

'') and the black-and-white ruffed lemur (''

Varecia variegata variegata The black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata'') is an endangered species of ruffed lemur, one of two which are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Despite having a larger range than the red ruffed lemur, it has a much smaller populati ...

''). Two

carnivores A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other so ...

the Malagasy or striped civet (''

Fossa fossana The Malagasy or striped civet (''Fossa fossana''), also known as the fanaloka (Malagasy, ) or jabady, is an euplerid endemic to Madagascar. It is the only species in genus ''Fossa''. The Malagasy civet is a small mammal, about long excluding ...

'') and the fossa (''

Cryptoprocta ferox ''Cryptoprocta'' is a genus of carnivoran endemic to Madagascar. It contains the living Fossa (animal), fossa and its larger, recently extinct relative, the giant fossa. The fossas are the largest of Madagascar's mammalian carnivores. References< ...

'') are also vulnerable species. The above mammals are all endemic to Madagascar. The white-breasted mesite (''Mesitornis variegata'') is one of the fifty-five species of endemic birds found on the reserve, and is also one with a very restricted distribution, known from only six sites within the country. It is classified as vulnerable. So far ninety-two species of birds have been recorded. Other rare birds are Van Dam's vanga and the

Madagascar pond heron The Malagasy pond heron (''Ardeola idae''), also known as the Madagascar pond heron or Madagascar squacco heron, is a species of heron of the family Ardeidae. They breed in Madagascar, Réunion and the Seychells, and spend the non-breeding sea ...

. There are also many amphibians, reptiles and insects. Two species of butterflies on the reserve are '' Papilio mangoura'' and '' Amauris nossima''; both considered to be vulnerable species.

References

External links

Ambatovaky Parc administration
{{authority control 1956 establishments in Madagascar Analanjirofo Special reserves of Madagascar Protected areas established in 1956 Madagascar subhumid forests Important Bird Areas of Madagascar