Data Zone
Country/territory: Madagascar
IBA criteria met: A2, A3 (1999)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 80,968 ha
Site description (2001 baseline)
This forest is part of the Karimbola plateau, and lies on the banks of the Menarandra river, 40 km south of Ampanihy. The hilly terrain is bordered by an alluvial (clay) plain and old sand-dunes. The vegetation of xerophilous bushland is dominated by Didiereaceae (notably Alluaudia) and Euphorbiaceae, with a canopy no higher than 6 m. There are isolated trees (the remnants of a degraded riparian forest), as well as alluvial vegetation, mainly composed of Tamarindus, Ficus, Cedrelopsis and Flacourtia. The bushland is, in some places, replaced by grassland with some woody species, including Commiphora, Phyllanthus, Harpagophytum, Adansonia (in the middle of Alluaudia thickets), and Euphorbia.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. There is a particular abundance of species characteristic of Euphorbia bushland, such as Coua verreauxi and Monticola imerinus. Species of global conservation concern include Circus maillardi and Coua verreauxi.
Non-bird biodiversity: Lemur: Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi (VU). Reptiles: Geochelone radiata (VU), Pyxis arachnoides (VU).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Menarandra Forest / Vohindefo NPA (Madagascar). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/menarandra-forest--vohindefo-npa-iba-madagascar on 23/11/2024.