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 region of western Madagascar.
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, ...
Kirindy Forest
Kirindy Forest or Kirindy Private Reserve is a private park situated in western Madagascar, More precisely, the reserve is situated 50 km northeast of the town of Morondava. The Forest goes through two apparent seasons throughout the year, th ...
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 fields, which threatens the area's wildlife, including the critically endangeredMadame Berthe's mouse lemur (''Microcebus berthae''), the smallest primate 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 (''Thalasseus bengalensis''), lesser flamingo (''Phoeniconaias minor''), greater flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus''), crab-plover (''Dromas ardeola''), curlew sandpiper (''Calidris ferruginea'') and sanderling (''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 ...
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 (''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 (''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)
**
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.
Local people depend on the wetlands for fish and bullrushes ('' Typha angustifolia''), 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.