The proposed Parc Regional de Belomotse - Frontier-publications ...

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Many species of mammals, reptiles and birds are often hunted for food (Ferguson, 2002). Specific reptile species are collected for their skins, or for export and sale in the pet trade, mostly to Europe and America. Excessive hunting or mass-collections of species can cause severe declines in local populations, which can cause extinctions at the local and national level. Exotic species that have been deliberately or accidentally introduced by man to Madagascar can cause severe threats to populations of native species. Many introduced species often adapt well to new surroundings and can be very successful competitors. Furthermore, introduced species often carry diseases and parasites to which the native species have no resistance, causing serious declines in affected populations. 1.4 Rationale In 1996, WWF identified 234 ecological regions (eco-regions) around the world on which to concentrate their present and future efforts. Five eco-regions were identified in Madagascar. In 1997, two eco-regions were selected as priority regions for WWF- Madagascar. These were the dry deciduous forests of the west, and the spiny forests of the south and southwest. The spiny forest eco-region comprises over 6,612,850 hectares of land, less than 3,000,000 hectares of which is forested. Only 3.2% of the entire ecoregion is under protective management. Conversely, over 20% of the rainforests of Madagascar are under protective management (Lowry et al, 1997). Since 1998, the WWF-Madagascar Dry Forest Programme has been undertaking reconnaissance and research throughout the region, the objectives being to identify sites of biological interest and to collect biological and socio-economic information. The aim has been to provide long-term protective management for 15-25% of the eco-region. To this end, research has focussed on the identification of biodiversity hotspots and unique or species-rich habitats. In order for long-term management to be successful, community participation and integration is vital. WWF has also focussed on identifying the underlying social issues and aims to address these issues at the ‘grass-roots’ level, with involvement and support from national organisations. The primary aim of the Frontier-Madagascar Forest Research Programme is to promote conservation of the natural resources within selected study areas. The objectives of the research programme aim to provide information on the biological value and importance of surveyed areas within the spiny forest eco-region in order to identify sites of biological conservation importance. The project will also survey resource use and report on the status of, and threats to, the habitats in the surveyed areas. The research programme will also help to develop GIS maps of the surveyed areas showing priority habitats (e.g. riparian forest), as well as areas of high biodiversity and sites of conservation importance. In addition, the programme will develop a system of methods for monitoring aspects of biodiversity and resource-use, and assist in the training of Malagasy personnel for long-term monitoring programmes in the region. The biodiversity and resource use surveys conducted by the Frontier-Madagascar Forest Research Programme provide information that can be combined with data 4
collected by the WWF-Madagascar Dry Forest Programme and other conservation organisations. This can be used in the identification of high priority sites of conservation interest, and provide support for the implementation of sustainable forest management plans and activities. These activities can then be monitored over time based on biodiversity and ground-truthed resource use data collected during the surveys, and can utilise personnel trained in biodiversity surveying and monitoring. 2. Description of the survey area 2.1 The Region Southwest Madagascar is the most arid region on the island, with some areas receiving an annual rainfall of less than 300 mm (Rogers, 2001). The area is dominated by spiny forest composed mainly of xerophytic plants. These plants are well adapted to the dry climate. Typical adaptations include succulent leaves, low fruit production and reduced branching and foliage (MacPhee, 1986). The area is referred to as the spiny forest ecoregion. This region stretches from the Mangoky River on the west coast to Fort Dauphin in the southeast (WWF, 2002; Seddon, 2000). The coastal town of Toliara has a population of approximately 140,000 inhabitants (Billé, 2002), and is the largest town in southwest Madagascar. The region around Toliara is one of the poorest in the country. The majority of the rural communities breed cattle and poultry and cultivate crops that are adapted to the dry environment, mainly manioc and maize. The spiny forest eco-region is the least studied region in Madagascar, but the few surveys that have been carried out suggest a very high diversity of animals (Nicoll & Langrand, 1989; Raxworthy, 1995). Deforestation and habitat fragmentation are especially prominent in the dry forests of the west and south, which are undergoing the most rapid deforestation of any region in Madagascar (Sussman & Rakotozafy, 1994; Dupuy & Moat, 1996; Smith, 1997). In fact, tropical dry forests are now considered to be the most endangered of all major tropical ecosystems (Janzen, 1988). This is due to extremely slow regeneration of the vegetation, caused by low rainfall, poor soils and the rapid onset of erosion following land clearance for cultivation or grazing. 2.2 Location of the proposed Regional Park The proposed Parc Regional de Belomotse is located along the Onilahy River, east of Toliara, see figure 1 for regional map. The area is dominated by spiny forest on the calcareous Mahafaly plateau. However, it has a core area containing lakes, marshes and areas of riparian forest. This is called the Sept Lacs region, see figure 2. The Sept Lacs region (S 23º 28' - S 23º 31', E 44º 04' – E 44º 10') covers over 3,000 ha between 40 and 250m asl, and is located along the north bank of the Onilahy River between the villages of Antafoky and Ifanato. To the west of this core area is Antafoky Lake, with a large area of associated riparian forests (S 23º 28', E 044º 03'). The lake covers approximately 150 ha, the gallery forest covers a further 150 ha. 5
Page 1 and 2: Frontier Madagascar Environmental R
Page 3 and 4: Suggested Technical Paper citation:
Page 5 and 6: Contents List of Figures List of Ta
Page 7 and 8: 10.1 Introduction 46 10.2 Methods 4
Page 9 and 10: List of Figures Figure 1: Figure 2:
Page 11 and 12: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report descr
Page 13 and 14: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This summary repor
Page 15 and 16: 1. Introduction 1.1 Madagascar Mada
Page 17: 1.3 Threats to Conservation The hig
Page 21 and 22: initiative. This regional departmen
Page 23 and 24: 3. The Study sites Work was carried
Page 25 and 26: The trapsites were positioned such
Page 27 and 28: 4. Plants 4.1 Introduction The Mala
Page 29 and 30: Table 3. The number and endemism of
Page 31 and 32: These results seem to show that the
Page 33 and 34: 5. Mammals 5.1 Introduction Mammals
Page 35 and 36: madagascariensis and the Barn Owl,
Page 37 and 38: 5.3.3 Observations, tracks and call
Page 39 and 40: Cheirogaleus medius, the Coquerel
Page 41 and 42: However, only two year-round trappi
Page 43 and 44: In many areas, species are hunted f
Page 45 and 46: 6.4 Discussion 6.4.1 Temporal varia
Page 47 and 48: 7.2 Methods Between May and August
Page 49 and 50: 7.4 Discussion 7.4.1 Comparison of
Page 51 and 52: threatened. Several species, includ
Page 53 and 54: Nine species were observed solely i
Page 55 and 56: 9.3 Results A total of fifty-five d
Page 57 and 58: areas, all of them were found in th
Page 59 and 60: 9.4.5 Range extensions and locality
Page 61 and 62: 10.2 Methods Amphibians were observ
Page 63 and 64: the associated riparian forest, the
Page 65 and 66: knowledge, are linked solely to rip
Page 67 and 68: 11.2 Malaise Trapping 11.2.1 Introd
Page 69 and 70:
The genus Cerapachys is rarely foun
Page 71 and 72:
11.5 Molluscs and Millipedes 11.5.1
Page 73 and 74:
12. Resource use and Socio economic
Page 75 and 76:
12.3 Results 12.3.1 Biological dive
Page 77 and 78:
Reeds are collected from the shallo
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egion’. The development of the re
Page 81 and 82:
oat or on foot. From the lake, the
Page 83 and 84:
Figure 10. The approximate position
Page 85 and 86:
the development of tourism and asso
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References Billé, R. & Mermet, L.
Page 89 and 90:
Lundahl, S. L. L. & Olsson, A. 2000
Page 91 and 92:
Appendix 1. Trapsite (TS) Habitat D
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Ground layer < 10 %, scrub layer 10
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Appendix 2. Continued. FABACEAE Rob
Page 97 and 98:
Appendix 3. Numbers of individuals
Page 99 and 100:
Appendix 3. Continued. LOGANIACEAE
Page 101 and 102:
Appendix 4. Plant numbers and speci
Page 103 and 104:
Appendix 6. List of mammal species
Page 105 and 106:
Appendix 7. Continued. 42 Centropus
Page 107 and 108:
Appendix 9. List of reptile species
Page 109 and 110:
Appendix 10. List of butterfly spec
Page 111 and 112:
Appendix 11. Descriptions of Sugges
Page 113 and 114:
Ring-tailed lemurs and Verreaux’s
Page 115 and 116:
Hide 3 Surroundings - Located in ga
Page 117:
Appendix 13. Specimen identificatio
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