Data Zone
Country/territory: Madagascar
IBA criteria met: A2, A3 (1999)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 30,922 hectares (309.22 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2017 | poor | very high | low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
This site is located 17 km from Betioky, on the Mahafaly plateau, and is divided into two parcels, covering 80 ha (Parcel 1) and 520 ha (Parcel 2) respectively. It lies in a large valley, with flat lowlands and gentle slopes. The soil is generally sandy. The Sakamena river, a seasonal tributary of the Onilahy, flows along the boundary of the reserve. The vegetation comprises riparian forest and xerophilous bushland. Riparian forest, found mainly in Parcel 1, is dominated by trees of Tamarindus, Acacia, Quivisianthe and Albizia in the upper layer, by small trees and shrubs of Crateva, Azima, Antidesma and Euphorbia in the mid-stratum, and by Tarenna, Byttneria and Greslania in the ground layer. Xerophilous bushland, found mainly in Parcel 2, is dominated by Alluaudia, Cedrelopsis and Grewia in the upper layer, and by Commiphora, Euphorbia, Gyrocarpus, Pachypodium and Aloe in the lower layer.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Sixty-one species are known from this site, of which 27 are endemic to Madagascar. Species of global conservation concern include Accipiter madagascariensis.
Non-bird biodiversity: Lemurs: Eulemur catta (VU), Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi (VU). Carnivore: Cryptoprocta ferox (VU). Reptile: Boa dumerili (VU).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve (Madagascar). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/beza-mahafaly-special-reserve-iba-madagascar on 23/12/2024.