Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
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.
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).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Threats to the site include cattle-grazing, traditional hunting of birds, and hunting of tortoises for consumption.
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 23/11/2024.
