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Baie de Baly National Park is a
National Park
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
in Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
.
Geography
Baie de Baly National Park or Baly Bay National Park is situated inSoalala District
Soalala is a district in western Madagascar. It is a part of Boeny Region and borders the districts of Mitsinjo District, Mitsinjo in northeast, Ambato-Boeni District, Ambato-Boeni in east, Kandreho District, Kandreho in south and Besalampy Dist ...
in the region of Boeny
Boeny is a region in northwestern Madagascar. It borders Sofia Region to the northeast, Betsiboka to the south and Melaky to the southwest. The capital of the region is Mahajanga, and the population was 931,171 in 2018. The area of Boeny is .
...
, close to Soalala
Soalala is a rural municipality in western Madagascar. It belongs to the Districts of Madagascar, district of Soalala District, Soalala, which is a part of Boeny Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 14,328 in 20 ...
and Ambohipaky, approximately to the next major city Mahajanga
Mahajangā (French: Majunga) is a city and an administrative district on the northwest coast of Madagascar. The city of Mahajanga (Mahajanga I) is the capital of the Boeny Region. The district (identical to the city) had a population of 258,068 ...
. The Tsingy de Namoroka National Park borders this park. Vegetation consist 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 ...
s, scrub-shrub or bamboo shrub, mangroves
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen and remove sal ...
, lakes and swamps mixed with savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
. Its southern border is formed by the Kapiloza River and the Andranomavo River crosses the park. It is bordered in the north by the Mozambique Channel and in the east by the Bay of Marambitsy.
Flora and fauna
The Baie de Baly National Park is the only known natural habitat of the critically endangeredAngonoka tortoise
The angonoka tortoise (''Astrochelys yniphora'') is a critically endangered species of tortoise severely threatened by poaching for the illegal pet trade. It is endemic to Madagascar. It is also known as the angonoka, ploughshare tortoise, Madaga ...
or ploughshare tortoise (''Astrochelys yniphora'').
Other rare animals found in this park is the Madagascan sideneck turtle ('' Erymnochelys madagascariensis''), as well as the dugong
The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest ...
, a marine mammal and the Madagascar fish eagle
The Madagascar fish eagle (''Icthyophaga 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 ...
. There are also thirteen species of mammal
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...
s, (six primate
Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...
s), 37 reptile
Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...
species, eight amphibian
Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...
species and 122 species of bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
s. There is also the '' Perrierbambus madagascariensis'', an endemic bamboo. The poisonous tree, ''Erythrophleum couminga
''Erythrophleum couminga'' is a species of leguminous tree in the genus ''Erythrophleum''. It is endemic to the western coastal region of Madagascar, occurring in the Baie de Baly National Park. The bark is used in traditional medicine and the br ...
'' (locally named komanga) is also endemic to this region and can be found in and outside the park. It is a very hard wood but cannot be used for cooking as its fumes contain a poison.
See also
*List of national parks of Madagascar
The national parks of Madagascar include all officially recognized protected areas as of 2015. The protected areas network of Madagascar is managed by the Madagascar National Parks Association (PNM-ANGAP). The network includes three types of prote ...
* Fauna of Madagascar
* Boeny
Boeny is a region in northwestern Madagascar. It borders Sofia Region to the northeast, Betsiboka to the south and Melaky to the southwest. The capital of the region is Mahajanga, and the population was 931,171 in 2018. The area of Boeny is .
...
* Tsingy de Namoroka Strict Nature Reserve
Tsingy de Namoroka National Park, formerly known as Tsingy de Namoroka Strict Nature Reserve, is a national park located in the northwestern part of Madagascar in the Mahajanga Province, specifically, the Soalala District.
History
Namoroka St ...
References
{{authority control 1997 establishments in Madagascar Bays of Madagascar Boeny National parks of Madagascar Protected areas established in 1997 IUCN Category VI Madagascar dry deciduous forests Important Bird Areas of Madagascar