Nosy Manitse Future SAPM Marine and surrounding wetlands (6595)
Madagascar, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1b, D1a

Year of last assessment: 2014

National site name: Nosy Manitse Future SAPM Marine et zones humides ajacentes

Central coordinates: Latitude: -25.1400, Longitude: 44.2950

System: marine, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 0 to 10

Area of KBA (km²): 233.27768

Protected area coverage (%): 0.09

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: These coastal wetlands are located 50 km south-west of Ampanihy. The site includes Nosy Manitse, located 10 km off Bevoalavo, as well as a large strip of forest (35–40 km long and 130–200 m wide) between Bevoalavo West and Bezavo, Anataiky Bay, Cape Fenambosy and Androkahely Bay. The wetlands are composed of reddish-brown sandbanks extending along the coast. Androkahely Bay comprises a vast sandy area covered by muddy sediments from the River Linta. The wetlands of Cape Fenambosy and Anataiky Bay are brackish. The interior of Anataiky Bay is bordered by a muddy area, partly covered by savanna and partly by mangrove.

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. Thirty-eight species are known from this site, of which four are endemic to Madagascar. There are many Sterna bengalensis and Sterna bergii. In the 1940s, a colony of more than 4,000 pairs of Sterna dougallii was present on Nosy Manitse. The current status of this colony is not known. Threskiornis (aethiopicus) bernieri occurs, at the southern limit of its range, as does a significant population of Charadrius thoracicus.

Delineation rationale: Type 2 marine IBA: non-breeding (coastal) congregations.

Habitats

Land use: hunting

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Hunting of birds and collection of eggs, especially on Nosy Manitse, are the main threats. The colony of Sterna dougallii may no longer be present, due to the presence of fishermen’s camps on the islands.

Additional information