Ankarana Special Reserve (6527)
Madagascar, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1e

Year of last assessment: 2018

National site name: Réserve Spéciale d'Ankarana

Central coordinates: Latitude: -12.9020, Longitude: 49.1380

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 50 to 409

Area of KBA (km²): 253.30066

Protected area coverage (%): 97.59

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: This reserve is located 70 km south of Antsiranana and 20 km north of Ambilobe. It is delimited by a cliff in the west, by the Mananjeba river in the south and, in the east, by the Route Nationale 6 between Antsiranana and Ambilobe. Ankarana is a massif of Jurassic limestone overlying a basaltic plain. The massif is highly eroded and karstic (‘tsingy’), and is divided by deep, northward-running canyons, penetrated by caves. Several underground rivers, the most important of which are the Ankarana, Mananjeba and Besaboba, flow through these caves in an east–west direction (into Ambavanankarana Bay), creating a very complex drainage system. During the dry season, the massif is an important hydrological reservoir for neighbouring people and their domestic animals. There is a large variety of microhabitats. Flat limestone areas are covered by dense, dry deciduous forest, dominated by Leguminosae and Burseraceae. The basalt floor of the canyons, where little water can infiltrate, allows the presence of dense, humid evergreen forest, similar in structure to such forest in eastern Madagascar, and dominated by Dalbergia, Canarium, Ficus, Zanthoxylum, palms and Pandanaceae. Degraded areas contain bamboo Olyra. Xerophytes such as Adenia, Aloe, Pachypodium and Noronhia cover the tsingy. The surroundings of the massif are covered by typical western savanna with Bismarckia palms.

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 Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Ninety-four species are known from the site, of which 34 are endemic to Madagascar. The site is important for both forest birds and waterbirds. Forest birds occur in the ‘Foresters Canyon’ and the ‘Grand Canyon’ in the western part of the reserve, as well as in Analamay in the eastern part. Such birds are usually absent from the Tsingy May forest, an area of low vegetation on the most exposed rocks. The site is one of the six known for Mesitornis variegata, and holds (with nearby Andavakoera) the only populations of Caprimulgus enarratus known in the West Malagasy biome. Non-bird biodiversity: Lemurs: Phaner furcifer ?electromontis (VU), Eulemur coronatus (VU), E. fulvus sanfordi (VU), Hapalemur griseus ?occidentalis (VU), Lepilemur septentrionalis (VU), Propithecus diadema perrieri (CR), Daubentonia madagascariensis (EN). Carnivore: Cryptoprocta ferox (VU).

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | forestry | nature conservation and research | not utilised | water management

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Savanna	4
Forest	66
Shrubland	21
Unknown	6
Artificial - Terrestrial	3

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Threats include illegal logging, mining, firewood collection, hunting of lemurs and birds, and water pollution.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting	Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression	Trend Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing
Energy production & mining	Mining & quarrying		Ongoing

Additional information