Baie de Baly

Category

Baly Bay National Park, Category II

Manager

Madagascar National Parks (MNP)

Surface Area

57,418 ha

Geographic Location

Province of Mahajanga; Boeny Region; District of Soalala

International Label

Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) site, Important Bird Area (IBA)

Flagship Species

The Baly Bay National Park is of critical importance for the in situ conservation of the critically endangered Angonoka turtle (Astrochelys yniphora).

The vegetation is composed of dense dry semi-caducifolia forests, Tsingy, mangroves and wooded savannah.

There are 7 species of lemurs including the Propithecus deckenii, 5 species of reptiles and 1 species of amphibians. The avifauna is represented by 112 species with 55 species of water birds.

Baly - FAPBM

Lemurs

7 species

1 critically endangered and 3 vulnerable

Birds

112 species

1 critically endangered (the Madagascan Fish Eagle or ankoay), 4 endangered (among which the Madagascan Grebe) and 2 vulnerable (including the Madagascan Pranticole)

Reptiles

5 species

1 locally endemic and critically endangered turtle (the angonoka) and 1 species of geckos endangered

Amphibians

1 species

Carnivorans

3 species

2 vulnerable, including the fossa

Bats

2 species

1 vulnerable, namely the Malagasy flying fox

Other mammals

2 species

Plants

35 species

26 species endemic to Madagascar (74%), among which 3 endangered

Landscapes and habitats

Dry semi-deciduous forest, degraded or secondary forest, secondary thickets, secondary grasslands, swamps and peat bogs, mangroves, aquatic environment. Particularity: The Protected Area is home to monuments and sacred  doany  sites: the first mosquee in the region, a site with tombs of former missionaries, tombs of Sakalava kings,  Lavohazo : a place where sohihy is used to build the coffins of deceased kings, the Rangan-Dolo festival site: a festival related to the cleaning of royal tombs.

Pressures and threats

Bush fires, illegal trafficking of Astrochelys yniphora, hunting, selective logging in forests and mangroves, collection of non-timber forest products, zebu grazing in the forest.

Economic value

The park is a water reservoir for rice cultivation and a reservoir of fishery resources that allow the population to benefit from them as sources of income. The raphia area subject to specifications (CUA) provides raw materials for the population, whose sale of the products is a source of income.

Local communities'initiatives

Like all protected areas managed by MNP, Baly Bay National Park management is a collaborative co-management with the participation of local community members in conservation and development activities. They are brought together in the CLP (Local Park Committee) and the COSAP (Protected Areas Orientation and Support Committee).

FAPBM's efforts and results

FAPBM’s support for Baly Bay National park regarding salary costs and some operating costs started in 2014. It is important to note that the Baly Bay National Park has benefited on several occasions from the Emergency to secure the Angonoka turtle. This emblematic species of the national park is still under strong pressure currently, although illegal trafficking seems to have calmed down over the latest months.

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