The site lies on the Menabe coastal plain, between the Andranomena and Tsiribihina rivers, 30 km north of Morondava. It includes Amborompotsy (Kirindy) Forest, Andranomena Special Reserve, Analabe Private Reserve and Ampataka Classified Forest. It is delimited in the west by mangroves, and, in the east, by the Bongolava plateau. Several seasonal watercourses cross the forest, flowing during the wet season. There are also small seasonal lakes, mostly in the southern part of the site. Amborompotsy is a dense, dry deciduous forest, 12–15 m high on average, and dominated by trees of Adansonia (up to 20 m), Commiphora, Securinega, Poupartia, Baudounia, Dalbergia and Cedrelopsis. The ground layer (1–5 m high) is very dense, with most woody species being evergreen. Andranomena Forest, 15 km south-west of Amborompotsy, is similar in structure and plant-species composition, with, however, a more pronounced abundance of certain taxa, e.g. Euphorbia and Givotia.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Large numbers of waterbirds occur in the area. It is one of the six sites known for Mesitornis variegata.
Amborompotsy Forest is managed as an ecotourist site by the Forestry Training Centre (Centre de Formation Professionnelle Forestière). A project is working in the area to promote sustainable management of forest resources. Human activities that disturb the forest include illegal exploitation of wood, slash-and-burn cultivation, and hunting (especially of nocturnal lemurs).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Menabe forest complex. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 31/03/2023.
