Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
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.
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.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Commercial fishing and hunting take place in the lower Mandrare valley.
Phoenicopterus ruber is among the preferred quarry.
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.
