Betampona Strict Nature Reserve (6569)
Madagascar, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1e

Year of last assessment: 2018

National site name: Réserve Naturelle Intégrale de Betampona

Central coordinates: Latitude: -17.8880, Longitude: 49.2250

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 300 to 590

Area of KBA (km²): 29.15794

Protected area coverage (%): 52.57

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site lies 35 km north-west of Toamasina and 4.5 km from Fontsimavo, being situated on a rocky foothill overlooking the coastal plain. It comprises a series of mountainous peaks with steep slopes. Small seasonal tributaries of the Ivoloina river cross the reserve, which is covered by low-altitude, dense, humid evergreen forest, typically with trees of Dalbergia, Ilex, Tambourissa and Canarium, and tree-ferns Cyathea. Screw-pines Pandanus, tree lianas and bamboo-lianas Nastus are abundant. Secondary woodlands and thickets (in degraded areas of forest) cover 30–35% of the site, and are dominated by fast-growing species such as traveller’s palm Ravenala, bushes of Solanum and Lantana, and wild ginger Aframomum.

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. Seventy-seven species are known from the site, of which 51 are endemic to Madagascar. Four of the species are confined mainly to the north-eastern forests of Madagascar: Coua serriana, Brachypteracias squamigera, Oriolia bernieri and Euryceros prevostii. All species of Coua characteristic of humid forest are present. Non-bird biodiversity: Lemurs: Varecia variegata variegata (EN), Indri indri (EN), Propithecus diadema diadema (EN), Daubentonia madagascariensis (EN). Carnivore: Fossa fossana (VU).

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | forestry | nature conservation and research

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	90
Unknown	5
Artificial - Terrestrial	5

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threats are slash-and-burn cultivation (in particular for rice), poaching, collection of palm-hearts, and exploitation for construction wood, including hardwoods such as Diospyros, Ocotea and Canthium.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Biological resource use	Gathering terrestrial plants	Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting	Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression	Trend Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing

Additional information