Bombetoka Bay - Marovoay NPA (6545)
Madagascar, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2014

National site name: NAP Baie de Bombetoka - Marovoay

Central coordinates: Latitude: -15.9167, Longitude: 46.5167

System: freshwater, marine, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 0 to 25

Area of KBA (km²): 1572.99321

Protected area coverage (%): 45.69

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site lies 20 km from Mahajanga. Bombetoka Bay is delimited, in the north, by a line from Katsepy in the west to the headland just north of Boanamary in the east, and, in the south, by the Marovoay flood-plain. The bay consists of mangrove islets (c.43,500 ha) separated by channels (c.21,500 ha at high tide) and mudflats (c.8,500 ha at low tide), with shallow subtidal waters in the estuary. The water is shallow (less than 5 m deep at low tide), except towards the mouth, and is very turbid. Northern mangroves are relatively degraded (3–4 m high), while those toward the south are in better condition; likewise, those on the coast are more intact than those in brackish, inland areas, where the canopy is 6–8 m high. The largest mudflats lie immediately seaward of the mangrove islets. A muddy bar crosses the mouth of the estuary, c.10 m wide and covered with scattered mangroves. The Marovoay wetlands comprise a vast area of rice-fields, marshes with Cyperaceae, and a large reservoir, Lake Amboromalandy.

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. KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot (2014). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat status follow the 2013 IUCN Red List.

Additional biodiversity: See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Sixty species are known from the site, of which 10 are endemic to Madagascar. The occurrence of a large, seasonal congregation of Anas bernieri (the largest known), and of several individuals of Threskiornis (aethiopicus) bernieri, in the Bombetoka estuary, is notable. The eastern part of Lake Amboromalandy is very rich in waterbirds. Non-bird biodiversity: Sirenian: Dugong dugon (VU; present, according to local people).

Delineation rationale: 2016-02-29 (BL Secretariat): the 2006 KBA 'Betsiboka-Tsiribihina River' (9169 ha; SitRecID 22445) has been merged into the 1999 IBA/2006 KBA 'Bombetoka Bay and Marovoay Wetlands Future SAPM Marine' (148,200 ha; SitRecID 6545) to form the 2014 KBA 'NAP Baie de Bombetoka - Marovoay' (78,814 ha; SitRecID 6545).

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | hunting | water management

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Except near Mahajanga, the mangroves are relatively intact. A proposed plan for the industrialization and further development of Mahajanga city and harbour (for example, a proposal to set up shrimp-farms) includes potential pollution risks. Hunting, and the destruction of waterbird colonies on the Marovoay flood-plain, are both known threats.

Additional information