email a friend
printable version
MG072
Tsitongambarika Classified Forest and surrounding areas
Location Madagascar, Toliara
Central coordinates 47o 0.00' East  24o 42.00' South
IBA criteria A1, A2, A3
Area 76,200 ha
Altitude 100 - 1,358m
Year of IBA assessment 2001

Asity Madagascar (Affiliate)



Ornithological information See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Thirty-seven species are known from this site, of which 22 are endemic to Madagascar. The population of Mesitornis unicolor seems to be quite dense in some lowland areas. The taxon Hypositta perdita was described on the basis of a specimen from this area, and it is possible that it can still be found there, if the taxon is valid. Coua gigas, a species characteristic of the West Malagasy biome, is also found at this site.

Site description This site is located 9 km north of Tolagnaro, and includes Manantantely Forest (to the south of the Classified Forest) and the forest located between Bemangidy and Enanafia (to the north). The site is part of the Tsitongambarika massif, which is composed of a series of ridges that are aligned from north-east to south-west. The Manampanihy river flows northwards along the western boundary of the site. The vegetation is composed of low- and mid-altitude, dense, humid evergreen forest and sclerophyllous montane forest. At low altitudes, it is dominated by trees of Sorindeia, Ilex, Tambourissa, Oncostemum, Syzygium and Dracaena, with a canopy 15–25 m high. At mid-altitudes, trees of Macaranga and Oncostemon, as well as species of Moraceae, Myrtaceae, Guttiferae and Monimiaceae, are dominant, with a canopy 12–20 m high.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Brown Mesite Mesitornis unicolor resident  1990  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A2, A3  Vulnerable 
Madagascar Wood Rail Canirallus kioloides resident  1990  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Madagascar Blue-pigeon Alectroenas madagascariensis resident  1990  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Giant Coua Coua gigas resident  1990  present [units unknown]  -    Least Concern 
Red-fronted Coua Coua reynaudii resident  1990  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Scaly Ground-roller Brachypteracias squamiger resident  1990  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A2, A3  Vulnerable 
Nuthatch Vanga Hypositta corallirostris resident  1990  present [units unknown]  -  A2, A3  Least Concern 
White-throated Oxylabes Oxylabes madagascariensis resident  1990  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Spectacled Tetraka Bernieria zosterops resident  1990  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Nelicourvi Weaver Ploceus nelicourvi resident  1990  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Tsitongambarika Classified Forest 0 protected area contained by site 0  

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture -
forestry -
nature conservation and research -
water management -

Other biodiversity Lemur: Eulemur fulvus collaris (VU).

Management considerations A portion of the north-eastern area, called Farafara Forest (31.4 ha), is dedicated to sustainable selective exploitation. The main threat is slash-and-burn cultivation, which affects at least 25% of the site, especially along the forest margins. Other threats include hunting, and soil erosion caused by cultivation on steep slopes.

Related state of the world's birds case studies

References Goodman et al. (1997), Hagen (1991), Milon (1948), Projet CAF/APN (1998), Projet COEFOR/CI SRF-DEF (1993), Rand (1951).

Contribute  Please click here to help BirdLife conserve the world's birds - your data for this IBA and others are vital for helping protect the environment.

Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Tsitongambarika Classified Forest and surrounding areas. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife