Data Zone
Country/territory: Madagascar
IBA criteria met: A1, A2, A3 (1999)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 59,763 hectares (597.63 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2017 | moderate | medium | low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
Marojejy National Park comprises the forested Marojejy massif and its neighbouring foothills. The massif is mountainous, with steep, granitic peaks, quartzite crests and narrow valleys. There are significant variations in microclimate, from sub-humid to humid, and from cold to temperate. In some areas, annual rainfall is over 3,000 mm. October is the driest month and January the wettest. Winter temperatures may fall to around 2°C in higher areas. The Androranga river flows along the northern boundary of the park and the Lokoho river in the south and east. Marojejy is the only one of the five large mountainous massifs in Madagascar whose high-altitude vegetation is still largely intact. Most of the site is covered in dense, humid evergreen forest. However, because of the great range of altitudes that the massif spans, it supports four distinct types of vegetation: (1) Low-altitude, dense, humid evergreen forest in the valleys. This forest is largely degraded. The emergent tree Canarium is abundant. Acanthaceae, Urticaceae and Gramineae are well represented in the ground layer, and tree-ferns are common. Secondary vegetation, partially dominated by giant bamboo Ochlandra and wild ginger Aframomum, occurs in the lowest areas, near the park boundary. (2) Mid-altitude, dense, humid evergreen forest, with a grassy ground layer dominated by herbs such as Begonia, Exacum, Gravesia, Impatiens and Phaius. (3) Dense sclerophyllous montane forest. (4) Montane bushland dominated by tree-heath Erica occurs at the highest altitudes, as do patches of grassland.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Ninety-six species are known from the site, of which 63 are endemic. The bird fauna of the park is very rich: nearly all of the species that are restricted to eastern forest have been recorded. Eutriorchis astur was discovered in the park in 1988, after c.50 years without any records throughout its range.
Non-bird biodiversity: The site is a major centre of endemism in the Eastern Malagasy region. Bat: Myzopoda aurita (VU). Lemurs: Eulemur rubriventer (VU), Propithecus diadema candidus (CR), Daubentonia madagascariensis (EN). Carnivores: Fossa fossana (VU), Cryptoprocta ferox (VU), Galidictis fasciata (VU). Butterfly: Papilio mangoura (VU).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Marojejy National Park (Madagascar). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/marojejy-national-park-iba-madagascar on 23/12/2024.