Maningoza Reserve


Maningoza Special Reserve is a wildlife reserve in Madagascar. It was created in 1956 to protect the many endemic plants and animals, and it also contains some of the last remaining areas of dry deciduous forest on the island.

Geography

The Maningoza Special Reserve was established in 1956 and is in the Melaky Region of Madagascar. The reserve is to the east of Antsalova and the nearest hotel accommodation is in Besalampy. It can be reached by boat on the Manambolo River although the reserve is only accessible to tourists during the dry season. It contains one of the last remaining areas of dry tropical forest on the island and has a dry climate with an average temperature of. The annual rainfall is and mostly falls during the monsoon season which is between November and April. The forest grows on iron-rich soil which forms due to the chemical weathering of most of the minerals; except for quartz. There is an accumulation of secondary minerals and clays such as gibbiste, goethite and kaolinite, and an accumulation of humus. The people living in the villages around the reserve, are dependent for its resources and use the land for grazing zebu, and grow cassava, maize and rice.

Flora and fauna

The largest habitat, within the reserve is is subtropical moist forest which is some of the last remaining in Madagascar. There is also over of savanna including a small area with palm trees and of bamboo. The birds are poorly studied with fifty-two species recorded including twenty-five endemics. A number are of conservation concern, such as Schlegel's asity which is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as near threatened due to habitat loss. Other resident birds include the giant coua, Coquerel's coua, sickle-billed vanga and the Sakalava weaver.
Of the fifteen species of mammal on the reserve, five are lemurs. Verreaux's sifaka is of most concern to the IUCN which is considered to be endangered, and the common brown lemur, gray mouse lemur and the fat-tailed dwarf lemur.