Mangerivola 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 the 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 was established in 1958 and is a hotspot for bird-watchers due to the one hundred species found there, including 63

endemics 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 ...

and many local endemics. There are also seven species of

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 ...

and rare chameleons such as the Lance-nosed chameleon ('' Calumma gallus'') which is registered 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 ...

on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Geography

Mangerivola Special Reserve is a nature reserve in the

Atsinanana Atsinanana is a coastal region in eastern Madagascar. It borders Analanjirofo region in the north, Alaotra-Mangoro in the west, Vakinankaratra and Amoron'i Mania in the southwest, and Vatovavy and Fitovinany in south. The region contains over 285 ...

region, to the west of

Toamasina Toamasina (), meaning "like salt" or "salty", unofficially and in French Tamatave, is the capital of the Atsinanana region on the east coast of Madagascar on the Indian Ocean. The city is the chief seaport of the country, situated northeast of it ...

and south of

Fito A unit prefix is a specifier or mnemonic that is prepended to units of measurement to indicate multiples or fractions of the units. Units of various sizes are commonly formed by the use of such prefixes. The prefixes of the metric system, such as ...

. The highest peak on the reserve is Mangerivola at and the landscape consists of hills, deep valleys, waterfalls (up to ) and lakes. Two of rivers ( Ambotohaka and Ivondro) provide water for the

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

at the Volobe dam, and along with the Marongolo, Ranomena and Sanalaotra rivers, irrigate the rice fields below the reserve and supply drinking water. There are few visitors due to the steep terrain and impassable roads during the wet season.

Flora and fauna

The natural vegetation on the reserve is dense, low- and mid-altitude, humid evergreen forest. ''

Anthostema madagascariense ''Anthostema madagascariense'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae (spurge family). It is a small to medium-sized tree or large bush, endemic to Madagascar, the Comoro Islands and Mayotte. Description ''Anthostema madagas ...

'',

Myristicaceae The Myristicaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants native to Africa, Asia, Pacific islands, and the Americas and has been recognized by most taxonomists. It is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, ...

and Sarcolaenaceae are the dominant trees in the low-altitude forest, and

Burseraceae The Burseraceae are a moderate-sized family of 17-19 genera and about 540 species of flowering plants. The actual numbers differ according to the time period in which a given source is written describing this family. The Burseraceae are also kno ...

Cunoniaceae Cunoniaceae is a family of 27 genera and about 335 species of woody plants in the order Oxalidales, mostly found in the tropical and wet temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere. The greatest diversity of genera are in Australia and Tasmania ...

, Ebenaceae,

Monimiaceae The Monimiaceae is a family of flowering plants in the magnoliid order Laurales.Peter F. Stevens (2001 onwards). "Monimiaceae" At: Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. At: Botanical Databases At: Missouri Botanical Garden Website. (see ''External links' ...

and Myrtaceae in the mid-altitude forest. In the north and north-east the old-growth forest has been cleared and there is some secondary forest growth with ''

Harungana madagascariensis ''Harungana madagascariensis'' is a flowering plant found in Madagascar that is commonly known as the dragon's blood tree, orange-milk tree or haronga. Description The haronga is a small, bushy tree that usually ranges from 4 m to 7 ...

'' and traveller's palm '' Ravenala madagascariensis''. The reserve has 325 species of plant of which 170 are endemic. One hundred species of birds have been recorded on the reserve, of which 63 are endemic to Madagascar, including the endangered

Madagascar serpent eagle The Madagascar serpent eagle (''Eutriorchis astur'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is placed in the monotypic genus ''Eutriorchis''. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist ...

(''Eutriorchis astur'') and the

red owl The red owl (''Tyto soumagnei'') is an owl in the barn owl family Tytonidae. It is also known as the Madagascar red owl, Madagascar grass-owl and Soumagne's owl. It is a rare resident of Madagascar that was virtually unknown from its discovery i ...

(''Tyto soumagnei''), which 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 ...

on the IUNC Red List. There are also nineteen species of reptiles and seven species of

s: ''

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. ...

'', ''

Propithecus A sifaka (; ) is a lemur of the genus ''Propithecus'' from the family Indriidae within the order Primates. The name of their family is an onomatopoeia of their characteristic "shi-fak" alarm call. Like all lemurs, they are found only on the isl ...

'', ''

Varecia 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 ...

'', '' Eulemur fulvus'', '' Eulemur rubriventer'', ''

Hapalemur griseus The eastern lesser bamboo lemur (''Hapalemur griseus''), also known as the gray bamboo lemur, the gray gentle lemur, and the Mahajanga lemur is a small lemur endemic to Madagascar, with three known subspecies. As its name suggests, the eastern le ...

'' and the

aye-aye The aye-aye (''Daubentonia madagascariensis'') is a long-fingered lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar with rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger. It is the world's largest nocturnal primate. ...

. Among the reptiles, there are nineteen species, including ''Calumma gallus'', ''

Calumma furcifer ''Calumma furcifer'' is a species of chameleon found in Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island co ...

'' and the Madagascar tree boa ''

Sanzinia madagascariensis ''Sanzinia madagascariensis'', also known as the Malagasy tree boaMehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . or Madagascar tree boa, is a boa species endemic to the island of Madagascar. It ...

''.

References

External links

Madagascar National Parcs
{{authority control 1958 establishments in Madagascar Atsinanana Important Bird Areas of Madagascar Special reserves of Madagascar Protected areas established in 1958 Madagascar lowland forests Madagascar subhumid forests