protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
in
Menabe
Menabe is a Regions of Madagascar, region in western Madagascar, with its capital at Morondava. It covers an area of , and its population was 700,577 in 2018. The population mostly belongs to the Sakalava ethnic group. The region is named after th ...
region of western
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 ...
.
Menabe Antimena is on the west coast of Madagascar, south of the
Mania River
The Mania River is a river in Madagascar that flows from the central mountains of the island, emptying into the Mozambique Channel. The region of Amoron'i Mania is named from this river.
Main affluents from the left are the Ivato, Imorona, ...
. It covers an area of
dry forest
Dry or dryness most often refers to:
* Lack of rainfall, which may refer to
**Arid regions
**Drought
* Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages
* Dry humor, deadpan
* Dryness (medical)
...
mangroves
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...
, and secondary grassland and scrub. It includes the northern portion of the Kirindy Forest and the
Avenue of the Baobabs
The Avenue of the Baobabs, or Alley of the Baobabs, is a prominent group of Grandidier's baobabs (''Adansonia grandidieri'') lining the dirt road between Morondava and Belon'i Tsiribihina in the Menabe region of western Madagascar. Its striking ...
.
Large areas have been illegally logged, burned, and converted to
maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
Madame Berthe's mouse lemur
Madame Berthe's mouse lemur (''Microcebus berthae'') or Berthe's mouse lemur is the smallest of the mouse lemurs and the smallest primate in the world; the average body length is and seasonal weight is around . ''Microcebus berthae'' is one of ...
(''Microcebus berthae''), the smallest
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
in the world.
Tsiribihina mangroves
The Tsiribihina mangroves extend along the coast around the mouth of the
Tsiribihina River
The Tsiribihina is a river of western Madagascar.
The main tributaries are the Mahajilo, Manandaza, Mania, and Sakeny rivers. Its basin has an area of 49,800 km2. 7,025 km2 is in the basin of the Sakeny River, 14,500 km2 in that of the Mahaj ...
. The mangroves are mostly within the reserve, with the portion north of the river outside it. There are about 20,000 hectares of mangroves, 8.5% of Madagascar's mangroves by area, along with lagoons, marshes, sandbanks, salt flats, and mud flats. About 40,000 waterbirds from 44 species live in the wetlands, including large numbers of
lesser crested tern
The lesser crested tern (''Thalasseus bengalensis'')Bridge, E. S.; Jones, A. W. & Baker, A. J. (2005)A phylogenetic framework for the terns (Sternini) inferred from mtDNA sequences: implications for taxonomy and plumage evolution. ''Molecular Ph ...
(''Thalasseus bengalensis''),
lesser flamingo
The lesser flamingo (''Phoeniconaias minor'') is a species of flamingo occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and western India. Birds are occasionally reported from further north, but these are generally considered Vagrancy (biology), vagrants.
Charac ...
(''Phoeniconaias minor''),
greater flamingo
The greater flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus'') is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It is found in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and in southern Europe.
Taxonomy
The greater flamingo was desc ...
(''Phoenicopterus roseus''),
crab-plover
The crab-plover or crab plover (''Dromas ardeola)'' is a bird related to the waders, but sufficiently distinctive to merit its own family Dromadidae. Its relationship within the Charadriiformes is unclear, some have considered it to be closely ...
(''Dromas ardeola''),
curlew sandpiper
The curlew sandpiper (''Calidris ferruginea'') is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia.
It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australia and New Zealand. It is a va ...
(''Calidris ferruginea'') and
sanderling
The sanderling (''Calidris alba'') is a small wading bird. The name derives from Old English ''sand-yrðling'', "sand-ploughman". The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'', a term used by Aristotle for some grey-colou ...
(''Calidris alba''). Threatened species include the
Madagascar fish eagle
The Madagascar fish eagle (''Haliaeetus vociferoides'') or Madagascar sea-eagle (to distinguish it from the ''Ichthyophaga'' fishing-eagles), is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such a ...
(''Haliaeetus vociferoides''),
Madagascar teal
Bernier's teal (''Anas bernieri''), also known as the Madagascar teal, is a species of duck in the genus ''Anas''. It is endemic to Madagascar, where it is found only along the west coast. Part of the "grey teal" complex found throughout Australa ...
(''Anas bernieri''),
Malagasy sacred ibis
The Malagasy sacred ibis (''Threskiornis bernieri'') is a relatively large, heavily built ibis endemic to the west coast of Madagascar, and Aldabra on the Seychelles.
Taxonomy and systematics
The Malagasy sacred ibis was formerly considered a su ...
(''Threskiornis bernieri''),
Madagascar heron
Humblot's heron (''Ardea humbloti''), also known as the Madagascar heron, is a species of heron. In Madagascar, it is common on the north and west coasts of the island, but is also found inland, especially near Lake Alaotra. It is also present in ...
(''Ardea humbloti''),
Madagascar plover
The Madagascar plover (''Charadrius thoracicus''), also known as the black-banded plover, is a small (37 g) monogamous shorebird in the family Charadriidae, native to western Madagascar. It inhabits shores of lagoons, coastal grasslands, and bree ...
(''Charadrius thoracicus''), and
Madagascar pratincole
The Madagascar pratincole (''Glareola ocularis'') is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae.
It is found in Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, possibly Mauritius, and possibly Réunion.
Its natural habitat ...
(''Glareola ocularis'').
The wetland is also home to the lemur
Verreaux's sifaka
Verreaux's sifaka (''Propithecus verreauxi''), or the white sifaka, is a medium-sized primate in one of the lemur families, the Indriidae. It lives in Madagascar and can be found in a variety of habitats from rainforest to dry deciduous forests ...
(''Propithecus verreauxi'') the
Madagascan flying fox
The Madagascan flying fox, Madagascar flying-fox, or Madagascar fruit bat (''Pteropus rufus'') is a species of megabat in the genus ''Pteropus''. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are diverse, and include moist lowland forests, d ...
(''Pteropus rufus''), and the critically endangered
hawksbill sea turtle
The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is largel ...
(''Eretmochelys imbricata'').
The Tsiribihina mangroves (''Mangroves de Tsiribihina'') and were declared a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
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 or ...
.
Bedo wetlands
The Bedo wetlands (''Zones humides de Bedo'') are also within the Menabe Antimena protected area. They are located on the lower Mandroatse River, south of the Tsiribihina and north of the
Morondava River
The Morondava river in Menabe region, is located in western Madagascar. It originates on the Makay Massif and flows northwestwards into the Indian Ocean near the town with the same name: Morondava
Morondava (, from mg, morona lava "long coast" ...
, at the western edge of the Marandravy and Analabe forests. The wetlands are habitat for water birds, including the vulnerable
Madagascar plover
The Madagascar plover (''Charadrius thoracicus''), also known as the black-banded plover, is a small (37 g) monogamous shorebird in the family Charadriidae, native to western Madagascar. It inhabits shores of lagoons, coastal grasslands, and bree ...
(''Charadrius thoracicus'') and endangered Madagascar teal (''Anas bernieri'') and Madagascar heron (''Ardea humbloti''). The Mandroatse River is home to the Marakely fish (''
Paratilapia polleni
''Paratilapia polleni'' is a medium-sized cichlid endemism, endemic to Madagascar. It is also a popular fish for display at public aquarium, aquaria.
It is sometimes referred to by the common names polleni cichlid and black diamond cichlid, whil ...
''), a threatened Madagascar endemic, and the
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile (''Crocodylus niloticus'') is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. It is widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the central, eastern ...
.
Local people depend on the wetlands for fish and bullrushes (''
Typha angustifolia
''Typha angustifolia'' L. (also lesser bulrush, narrowleaf cattail or lesser reedmace) is a perennial herbaceous plant of genus ''Typha''. This cattail is an "obligate wetland" species that is commonly found in the northern hemisphere in brackis ...
''), which are harvested for basketry and house roofs.
The Bedo wetlands were declared a Ramsar site in 2007, covering an area of 1,692 ha.