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The threatened birds of Ambatovaky Special Reserve, Madagascar

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2010

P. M. Thompson  and
M. I. Evans
P. M. Thompson
Affiliation:
Middlesex University, Queensway, Enfield ENj 4SF, U.K.
M. I. Evans
Affiliation:
Montrose, Llanddeinisol, Llanrhystud, FJyfed SY23 5AN, U.K.
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Summary

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Ambatovaky Special Reserve was created in 1956 and is the largest lowland rainforest reserve in Madagascar, comprising more than half of the total area of this habitat represented in the country's protected area system, yet there are no measures in place actively to protect it, due to its remoteness and a lack of funds. This study in February-March 1990, part of the first faunal survey to be undertaken in the reserve, found seven threatened, five near-threatened and two other localized bird species. In itself this would make the reserve an important site for conservation. However, three of the finds are of particular note: Ambatovaky is one of only two known sites for the Red-tailed Newtonia Newtonia fanovanae which was rediscovered in 1989; a dead Madagascar Serpent-eagle Eutriorchis astur was found - the first specimen since 1930 of one of the world's rarest raptors; and the White-breasted Mesite Mesitornis variegata was discovered in rainforest where Brown Mesite M. unicolor was also present, this being the only known case of sympatry within the endemic Mesitornithidae family. Shifting cultivation threatens the habitat of all these species and an integrated plan for conservation and sustainable development for the local people is urgently needed.

La Réserve Spéciale d'Ambatovaky a été crée en 1956 et représente la plus grande réserve de forêt pluviale à basse altitude de Madagascar. Elle couvre plus de la moitié de la superficie totale de cet habitat, intégrée au système de zones protégées du pays. Pourtant, à cause de l'isolement géographique et du manque de ressources financières, aucune mesure de protection active n'a pu être encore mise en place. Cette étude accom-plie en février-mars 1990, et faisant partie de la première recherche menée sur la faune de cette réserve, a permis de découvrir sept espéces d'oiseaux menacées, cinq especes presque menacees et deux espèces locales. En soi, cela suffirait pour dormer à cette réserve le statut de site important pour la conservation. Cependant, trois de ces decouvertes méritent une attention particulière: Ambatovaky est l'un des deux seuls sites connus abritant la Newtonia fanovanae qui a été redécouverte en 1989; un aigle-autour de Madagascar, l'Eutriorchis astur a été trouvé mort - le premier spécimen depuis 1930 de l'un des rapaces les plus rares au monde; et le Mesitornis variegata, découvert dans la forêt pluviale où le Mesitornis unicolor éiait également présent, ceci représentant le seul cas connu de sympatrie à l'intérieur de la famille endémique des Mesitornithidae. L'exten-sion des cultures agricoles menace l'habitat de toutes ces espèces, et il est urgent d'établir un plan de conservation et de développement pour la population locale compatible avec l a conservation des ressources naturelles.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 2 , Issue 3 , September 1992 , pp. 221 - 237
Copyright
Copyright © Birdlife International 1992

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