The Montagne des Français Reserve ( French for: ''mountain of the French'') is a

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 ...

consisting principally of

dry deciduous forest The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

in northern

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 part of the larger Ramena protected area complex which also includes Orangea Reserve and the Ambodivahibe Marine Reserve. These three protected areas are currently being created and will be designated in 2008. Diego bay

Flora and fauna

The Montagne des Français reserve protects deciduous dry forest characteristic of the north of Madagascar. Much of the forest is on a calcareous massif that has been eroded into

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

formations known locally as Antsingy. The forested area ranges from 100–450 metres above sea level. This mountain is thought to receive more rain than the surrounding area (Antsiranana receives approximately 1000mm precipitation annually) which explains the lush vegetation in an otherwise very dry bioclimatic zone. Preliminary botanical and zoological inventories have been done that show these forests are rich in both fauna and flora and include a remarkable number of local and regional

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 ...

species. In particular this is one of the best places to see the baobab '' Adansonia suarezensis'' as well as an aloe, '' Aloe suarezensis'', both of which are restricted to this area of northern Madagascar. Other locally endemic plants of interest include the flame tree, '' Delonix regia'', the rare ''Diegodendron humbertii'' that is the only representative of the family Diegodendronaceae and known from only a few dozen individuals, and '' Baudouina solleyformis'', which is used locally as a traditional protection against

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

. To date, 242 species from 58 families and 158 genera have been described from the Montagne des Français; the five most important families that account for over 40% of the species are the

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules ...

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

and

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1858 accepted species. Examples include horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The Sapindaceae occur in tempera ...

. Zoological surveys to date have identified 19 species of amphibian, 52 reptile species, 56 birds and 21 mammals. Of the

herpetofauna Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...

, eight species are endemic to the Montagne des Français, 28 are regional endemics, 2 are listed as globally threatened in IUCN's 2006

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 biologi ...

and 14 species are

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

listed.

Conservation

The main threats to the Montagne des Français are linked to demand for wood-based products from the nearby city of

Antsiranana Antsiranana ( mg, Antsiran̈ana ), named Diego-Suárez prior to 1975, is a city in the far north of Madagascar. Antsiranana is the capital of Diana Region. It had an estimated population of 115,015 in 2013. History The bay and city originally u ...

. Logging for timber and charcoal production are the main threats. Unlike most of Madagascar, slash and burn agriculture is not a major threat since most of the remaining forest is on land unsuitable for agriculture. Adansonia suarezensis

Several other karst limestone areas are also protected in Madagascar including

Tsingy de Bemaraha Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located near the western coast of Madagascar in Melaky Region at . The area was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990 due to the unique geography, preserved mangrove forests, ...

, Tsingy de Namoroka and the Tsingy d’Ankarana reserve 100 km to the south of Montagne des Français. The current effort to create a new reserve in the Montagne des Francais involves many local organizations and is being headed up by the local regional government with technical support and funding from

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and communities. The organ ...

Tourism

The Montagne des Francais is accessible from the city of Antsiranana (also known as Diego Suarez). The base of a trail leading to the summit can be reached approximately 12 km by road from Antsiranana; a guide is recommended. The trail to the summit takes approximately 2 hours and several viewpoints along the way and at the summit provide views over the Diego Bay. The remains of several fortifications dating from the French colonial period can still be seen. These fortifications and the whole area around Diego were the scene of fierce fighting during World War II between the Vichy French occupiers and British forces.

Flora and fauna

Conservation

Tourism

See also