Cape Anorontany Archipelago NPA (6522)
Madagascar, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1e
Year of last assessment: 2018
National site name: NAP Archipel Cap Anorontany
Central coordinates: Latitude: -12.3080, Longitude: 48.8570
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 130
Area of KBA (km2): 6.27057
Protected area coverage (%): 44.28
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site consists of 12 main islets, in three groups: (1) northern sandy islets: Nosy Foty (6 ha), Nosy Fasy (5 ha), Nosy Faty (1 ha) and Nosy Hao (10 ha); (2) northern rocky islets: Nosy Hara (115 ha), Nosy Vaha (1 ha), Nosy Lakandava (5 ha) and Nosy Anjombavola (30 ha); and (3) southern islets: Nosy Anambo (10 ha), Nosy Valiha (150 ha), Nosy Tanga (50 ha) and Nosy Manonoka (75 ha). The northern rocky islets are karstic and covered by a mixture of grassy vegetation and xerophilous shrubland including Pachypodium. The sandy islets are flat, covered by grass, Ipomoea mats and small Casuarina trees. The southern islets are more or less rocky, except Nosy Anambo, which is flat and sandy. The rocky islets are often covered by trees and palms such as Bismarckia. The islets are surrounded by coral reefs. Four other rocky islets north of Manonoka also support some breeding bird species.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. Alliance for Zero Extinction (2018): site confirmed as an AZE site during the AZE project (2015-2018). Taxonomy, nomenclature and Red List category follow the IUCN 2016 Red List.
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 3 for key species. The site is home to two pairs of Haliaeetus vociferoides: one pair on Nosy Tanga, next to Cape St Sébastien, and one pair on Nosy Hara in the centre of the archipelago. Significant numbers of terns, including Sterna caspia, S. dougallii, S. fuscata, S. bengalensis, Anous tenuirostris and A. stolidus, have been observed on Nosy Fasy, Nosy Foty, Nosy Faty and Nosy Valiha, not all of them breeding. In July 1997, on Nosy Fasy, about 600 pairs of S. bergii (with 50 young) and 2,000 pairs of S. fuscata were recorded, while on Nosy Foty there were 1,500 pairs of S. bergii (60% breeding, with c.300 young), 30 pairs of S. fuscata and 50 pairs of S. caspia (with young), and on Nosy Faty there was a flock of S. dougallii. Non-bird biodiversity: Marine turtles are present.
Delineation rationale: 2012-12-17 (BL Secretariat): the original site boundary has been clipped to the coastline to avoid overlap with the new marine IBA identified adjacent to this site in October 2012; site area has been correspondingly changed from 458 ha to 565 ha.
Habitats
Land use: not utilised
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Massive collection of the eggs of breeding seabirds, in particular terns, is a severe threat. Only Nosy Tanga and the islets around Nosy Manonoka are naturally protected by the presence of rocks and cliffs, which make access by boats and pirogues difficult. Non-native rodents Rattus rattus and Mus musculus are present on some of the islets.
Additional information
References: Commission Nationale Malgache pour l’UNESCO (1998), Langrand (1987), Rabarisoa (1994), Rabarisoa et al. (1995), Watson et al. (1993).