The special reserve called Ambohitantely is located 140 km northwest of Antananarivo, in the district of Ankazobe, It is about 30 km from Ankazobe. Ambohitantely is currently the only protected area in the Analamanga region.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Ambohitantely location
The special reserve called Ambohitantely is located 140 km northwest of Antananarivo, in the district of Ankazobe, It is about 30 km from Ankazobe. Ambohitantely is currently the only protected area in the Analamanga region.
Ambohitantely
This small reserve has only 56 km² or 1800 ha of indigenous forest and 3800 ha of grassland. It was established in 1982 . The indigenous forest includes lowland riparian forest, lowland forest (canopy to 16 m), and upland forest (canopy 6-8 m).
Tenrec in the forest
A preliminary inventory of Ambohitantely Reserve listed 50 species of birds, 3 species of lemurs (Eulemur fulvus, Microcebus rufus, Avahi laniger), 17 species of reptiles including the smallest Malagasy chameleons (Brookesia spp.), and many species of amphibians, reptiles and rodents.
Biodiversity Plants.
Ambohitantely is known for Dypsis decipiens, an endemic palm tree. The reserve is home to the last remnants of forest on the central plateau. The main part of the Reserve is a degraded grassland dominated by several species of Gramineae (Andropogon sp., Aristida sp., and Loudetia sp.). There is also a botanical garden with plantations of exotic tree species (Eucalyptus spp, Pinus spp., Callitris sp., Cupressus sp.).
Biodiversity Plants.
This forest is characterized by a high degree of diversity and endemism. The vegetation here is dominated by Weinmannia spp. (Cunoniaceae), Gymnosporia sp. (Celastraceae), Uapaca sp. (Uapacaceae), Ravensara sp. (Lauraceae) and Diospyros sp. (Ebenaceae). Along the valleys, palms (Dypsis sp. - Arecaceae) and pandans (Pandanus sp. - Pandanaceae) are abundant. Epiphytes, including Bulbophyllum spp., Angreacum spp. (Orchidaceae) and Polypodium spp. (Polypodiaceae), are common. Erica sp. (Ericaceae) and Nastus sp. (Gramineae) are dominant along the forest border. . Some palms are critically endangered, such as several species belonging to the Manambe Palm group.
Biodiversity
Nearly 70 species of birds have been recorded in Ambohitantely, including the Madagascar Harrier (Circus macroscles), Crested Ibis (Lophotibis cristata),Henst’s Goshawk (Accipiter henstii). Ambohitantely special reserve is the only protected area which has a population of Circus macrosceles.
Biodiversity
The total number of invertebrate species has never to my knowledge been computed for this forest.
Management
Ambohitantely was established in 1982 . An agreement was signed in 1987 between ESSA-Forêts and the Ministry of Waters and Forests. They established the Reserve as an ESSA-Forêts site meant for applied research and training. ANGAP is now responsible for managing the Reserve. A number of research projects have been undertaken in the past 10 years, mostly conducted in the botanical garden. These include phenological studies and permanent forest plots set up to monitor forest dynamics across sylvicultural treatments
Facilities have been set by ANGAP and ESSA-Forêts to receive visitors in Ambohitantely. Given the proximity of the site to Antananarivo and easy access for students and faculty from the School of Agronomy, fuller commitment can be anticipated in the future. The few remaining patches of Central Highland forest are rapidly declining, mostly through the repeated grass fires along fragment edges. This site is beginning to be known as a natural laboratory for understanding the effect of forest fragmentation on biodiversity.
Accessibility
The reserve is accessible most of the year. Ambohitantely can get quite cold, and from November to March, it is windy. Facilities are very limited in the reserve--you can get more information from the park office. Camping is possible, although there is a simple hotel in Firarazana.
The camp site has a toilet and a shelter where cooking and eating can take place. This spot has a superb view of the forest.
Polybothris Jewel beetle in the forest.
This superb place needs all the protection that it can get. It is the last Madagascar transitional forest (Between the wet eastern rainforest and the dry deciduous forests of the west.) to be found on the highlands. And that means the last on earth of this specific type of forest.
Threats and Opportunities
Little effort has been made to help the local residents manage the forests sustainably. In part this is because the villages are relatively far from the protected area. Livestock rearing and irrigated rice cultures are the main activities of villagers surrounding the Reserve. Repeated fire to increase grazing lands, overgrazing, and illegal timber harvesting are the main threats to Ambohitantely Forest Reserve.
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