Country/territory: Madagascar
IBA criteria met: A1, A2, A3, A4i (1999)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 3,189 ha
Site description (2001 baseline)
The two lakes are located on the southern coast of Madagascar, in the lower Mandrare valley, c.75 km from Tolagnaro. Lake Anony is brackish and tidal, being linked to the sea by a channel. Lake Erombo is shallow and dries up outside the rainy season. The surrounding vegetation is xerophilous bushland, which is dense on the northern and eastern banks of Lake Anony, with a canopy 4.5 m high dominated by Didierea and Alluaudia. In the west, between Anivorano and Antsavelo villages, the bush lies on old dunes, dominated by succulent bushes Euphorbia. Some baobabs Adansonia and Salvadora scrub also occur, and there is a vast industrial plantation of sisal Agave near the lake.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. During the rainy season, Lake Erombo holds large numbers of waterbirds. Clumps of Euphorbia are the favourite habitat of Monticola imerinus. This is the only site in the region that is known to hold Tachybaptus pelzelnii. The bushland is a foraging area for forest birds. Many migratory Palearctic species have been recorded at the site.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lakes Anony and Erombo (Madagascar). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lakes-anony-and-erombo-iba-madagascar on 23/11/2024.