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, or features of geological or o ...

in southern

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 to the north of

Andohahela National Park Andohahela National Park, in south-east Madagascar, 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 Highlands and contains the last hum ...

, 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 from Farafangana Farafangana is a city (commune urbaine) on the south-east coast of Madagascar and capital of the Atsimo-Atsinanana ...

and contains many

endemic species 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 ...

, including forty-five endemic bird species.

Geography

This reserve is within the commune of Begogo, in

Anosy Region Anosy is one of the 22 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. Due to a strategic sea route running alo ...

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, Ihosy to Tolagnaro, at 118 km from Ihosy, 77 km from Isoanala and 203 km ...

. 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-herding ...

Flora and fauna

The humid, evergreen forest is relatively undisturbed and divided into blocks with savannahs of the coarse grass ('' Aristida imperata'') inbetween. Among the 699 species of plants so far recorded on the reserve, two

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

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 with ...

, 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; 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) is an endangered species 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 the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

. 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 categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

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 and in ...

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) ...

(''Neomixis flavoviridis''), Madagascar yellowbrow (''Crossleyia xanthophrys''), Grey-crowned Tetraka (''Bernieria cinereiceps''), Pollen's Vanga (''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 categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify f ...

Lemurs 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 Madaga ...

found on the reserve are listed below.

Threats

Growing rice and cutting wood for construction and cooking are the main threats to the area.

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

Geography

Flora and fauna

Threats

See also

References

External links