Anjanaharibe-Sud 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, or features of geological or ...

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 ...

. The reserve was designated in 1958 and contains some of the last intact primary rainforest, along with several, rare and

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 elsew ...

animals and plants. The area was nominated to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Tentative List of

World Heritage Sites in Madagascar The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The sites of natural and cult ...

in 2008, as an extension of the

rainforests of the Atsinanana The Rainforests of the Atsinanana is a World Heritage Site that was inscribed in 2007 and consists of 13 specific areas in six national parks in the eastern part of Madagascar: # Marojejy National Park # Masoala National Park # Zahamena National ...

Geography

The special reserve of Anjanahraibe-Sud is located in the

Sava Region Sava is a region in northern Madagascar. Its capital is Sambava. Until 2009 Sava belonged to Antsiranana Province. The region is situated at the northern part of the east coast of Madagascar. It is bordered by the region Diana to the north, Sofia ...

in north-eastern Madagascar, some south-west of the village of

Andapa Andapa is a town and commune ( mg, firaisana) in northern Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Andapa, which is a part of Sava Region. According to 2001 commune census the population of Andapa was 27,618. Andapa is served by a local airpor ...

. It has an area of and the main part of the reserve is between , with peaks up to . There is, on average, over of rain each year and there is little difference in temperatures between the warm season of November to April, , and the cool season of May to October . Two rivers cross the Anjanaharibe-Sud Reserve: the Fotsialanana River and the Marolakana River, which flow into the river of Ankaibe. The park headquarters is located in

. Access is difficult and the best way to visit is by 4x4.

Flora and fauna

The changes in altitude gives variation in the types of forest, with humid forest at , sclerophyllous mountain forest up to and

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

on the highest slopes up to . One of the rarest species is a small tree with aromatic leaves, ''Takhtajania perrieri'', which is classified as 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 and inv ...

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 natu ...

(IUCN). The first specimen was found in 1909, away, and in 1997 a population of 250 trees was found on the Anjanaharibe-Sud Reserve. The tree is estimated to have evolved 120 million years ago. There are twelve species of lemurs in the reserve, 120 species of birds, 55 species of amphibians and forty species of reptiles.

References

External links

Friends of Anjanaharibe-Sud Special ReserveDuke Lemur SAVA ConservationHomepage of the park administrationLemur Conservation Foundation
{{authority control 1958 establishments in Madagascar Special reserves of Madagascar Protected areas established in 1958 Sava Region Madagascar subhumid forests Important Bird Areas of Madagascar

Geography

Flora and fauna

See also

References

External links