Marojejy National Park (6537)
Madagascar, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1e, B1, B2

Year of last assessment: 2018

National site name: Parc National de Marojejy

Central coordinates: Latitude: -14.4350, Longitude: 49.7060

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 75 to 2133

Area of KBA (km²): 597.63402

Protected area coverage (%): 100.00

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Marojejy National Park comprises the forested Marojejy massif and its neighbouring foothills. The massif is mountainous, with steep, granitic peaks, quartzite crests and narrow valleys. There are significant variations in microclimate, from sub-humid to humid, and from cold to temperate. In some areas, annual rainfall is over 3,000 mm. October is the driest month and January the wettest. Winter temperatures may fall to around 2°C in higher areas. The Androranga river flows along the northern boundary of the park and the Lokoho river in the south and east. Marojejy is the only one of the five large mountainous massifs in Madagascar whose high-altitude vegetation is still largely intact. Most of the site is covered in dense, humid evergreen forest. However, because of the great range of altitudes that the massif spans, it supports four distinct types of vegetation: (1) Low-altitude, dense, humid evergreen forest in the valleys. This forest is largely degraded. The emergent tree Canarium is abundant. Acanthaceae, Urticaceae and Gramineae are well represented in the ground layer, and tree-ferns are common. Secondary vegetation, partially dominated by giant bamboo Ochlandra and wild ginger Aframomum, occurs in the lowest areas, near the park boundary. (2) Mid-altitude, dense, humid evergreen forest, with a grassy ground layer dominated by herbs such as Begonia, Exacum, Gravesia, Impatiens and Phaius. (3) Dense sclerophyllous montane forest. (4) Montane bushland dominated by tree-heath Erica occurs at the highest altitudes, as do patches of grassland.

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-six species are known from the site, of which 63 are endemic. The bird fauna of the park is very rich: nearly all of the species that are restricted to eastern forest have been recorded. Eutriorchis astur was discovered in the park in 1988, after c.50 years without any records throughout its range. Non-bird biodiversity: The site is a major centre of endemism in the Eastern Malagasy region. Bat: Myzopoda aurita (VU). Lemurs: Eulemur rubriventer (VU), Propithecus diadema candidus (CR), Daubentonia madagascariensis (EN). Carnivores: Fossa fossana (VU), Cryptoprocta ferox (VU), Galidictis fasciata (VU). Butterfly: Papilio mangoura (VU).

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | forestry | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Unknown	4
Forest	91
Artificial - Terrestrial	5

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Threats to the site include slash-and-burn cultivation, hunting, wood exploitation, and collection of other forest resources. These activities are more intense in the south-eastern area of the park than in the north.

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	Intentional use: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting	Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing

Additional information