PHOTO GUIDE TO PLANTS OF THE MANDRARE VALLEY, MADAGASCAR Draft Version 3 (28/05/2011) By Barry Ferguson Contributions by Yedidya Ratovomanana (Hamburg University), Pierre Jules Rakotomalaza (Tulear), Sylvain Mahazotahy (WWF Madagascar), Monique Randriatsivery (Missouri Botanical Gardens), Solofo Rakotoarisoa (Royal Botanical Gardens Kew) and Johannes Singer. CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. How to use this guide and How the Guide was prepared 3. Taxonomic Certainty? 4. Historical Taxonomists of Southern Madagascar’s Plants 5. Overview of Habitat Types in the Mandrare Valley; Six Habitat Classes 6. Plant Adaptations to Semi-Arid Southern Madagascar 7. Mapping Madagascar’s Forests 8. Overview of Conservation in the Mandrare Valley: from 1935 to the present day 9. Protected Areas 10. Plant Conservation Priorities 11. List of Plant Organised by vernacular name 12. Bibliography 13. Photographs of featured species Transitional Forest at Ankazofotsy Col (Andohahela National Park Parcel III). The endemic three cornered palm tree (Dypsis decaryi) is dominant in this area and can be seen in the top part of the photograph. This book categorises this habitat within the class ‘Tree Dominated High Spiny Thicket. Key to photographs on cover page Vontaka, Pachypodium lameryi Za, Andasonia za Fantiolotse, Allaudia procera Vahombe, Aloe vaombe Anivo, Ravenea xerophila Mozotse, Euphorbia stenoclada 1. INTRODUCTION This photographic guide has been developed as a tool to support students working in southern Madagascar’s, Mandrare Valley and its environs to identify some of the most common species. It is neither a comprehensive taxonomic treatise, nor a botanical binomial key to the plants of the region. It is simply meant as a fieldwork tool to assist students working in the area in making species identifications for the commonest plants while working with local botanists and guides. It breaks with convention in its use of the vernacular names of plants, because of the relative uniformity of use of these local names in the Mandrare Valley region – and the need to produce an affordable resource to introduce students to the flora and ecology of the Mandrare valley. The Mandrare Valley is located in the easternmost part of the ‘Madagascar Spiny Thicket Ecoregion’ (Burgess, 2004) which traverses the south of the island from Andohahela (c50km East of Fort Dauphin) to Morondava on Madagascar’s west coast. The Mandrare, one of the few rivers of the south which flows all year, rises in the mountains of Andohahela, part of the Anoysenne chain of mountains. The valley provides a good example of an ecotone, being a transition between the humid forests of the Anosyenne mountains and the spiny thicket of the deep south. The region is sub-arid, with rainfall varying between 300mm in the south (Behara, Amboasary) to nearer 800mm in the north (Tsivory). The spiny forest habitats of southern Madagascar have been subjected to a plethora of efforts at classification over the last 102years. Despite these efforts, the great complexity and heterogeneity observed in the spiny forest remains difficult to describe and explain in any one accepted system. The habitats of southern Madagascar are dominated by species of the Euphorbiaceae and Didieraceae families, and despite having less absolute plant diversity than humid forests, they have become a passion for some scholars, due to their unparalleled levels of endemism. An estimated 48% of genera and 95% of species are endemic to Madagascar (Phillipson, 1996). Furthermore, a pattern of localised endemism pervades the region, with a number of species known only from small areas of the Mandrare Valley and not recorded elsewhere. A well known example of this is the three cornered palm, Lafa (Dypsis decaryi), which is found naturally only in the protected areas of Andohahela and Ankodida, a small area of less than 20km radius. Other examples of this phenomenon include the fact that almost all of the wild populations of the octopus tree, Songy (Alluaudia ascendens), and the dryland palm, Anivo (Ravenea xerophila), are in the Mandrare Valley. A number of other species have been first described from this region and bear a latin derivation of village names in their species name (beharensis – Behara; bevilaniensis – Bevilany; ambovombensis - Ambovombe). However, many botanists and conservationists interested in this part of Madagascar agree that we still have a huge amount to learn about the distribution and status of numerous endemic and threatened plants. This guide is intended as a first stop for students and other interested parties to learn about some of the more common plants of the Mandrare Valley. Hopefully it will help to stimulate interest and research into the fascinating dryland flora. 2. How to use the guide: The plants featured in the guide are organised by vernacular name because the goal is that it can be used by students in the field with local botanists. Ask your guide what the name of the speices you are looking at is, and check to see if it is included in the guide and if it matches up. Each species has been allocated a code comprising of one letter and one number. The plants are presented in alphabetical order based on of the first letters of their vernacular name. An index of scientific names organised alphabetically by genus is also presented. As described below the fieldwork which led to the production of this guide identified and photographed more than one hundred and thirty species. There are probably several hundred more species to be included in future editions of this guide. If you have photographs or information which could improve the guide, by making corrections, adding information to species, or by adding more species this would be very welcome. How the guide was prepared: Initially over 130 species were photographed in the Madagascar during fieldwork in six main sites across the Mandrare Valley during January – July 20091, these photographs and vernacular names were cross referenced with reports from fieldwork conducted by the author and colleagues over the last decade2. The scientific names identified at this stage along with the field photographs were cross-checked with descriptions and illustrations from six published botanical reference works3. Subsequently checks were carried out using three online e-floras: tropicos.org , efloras.org and aluka.org to ascertain if herbarium specimen scans were available for comparison, to verify spellings and known distribution and to confirm the taxonomy. If at any stage up to consulting the online floras there were contradicting images or unlikely extensions to known distribution or range the species concerned was excluded from the guide. This process led to rejection of almost 30% of the initial sample, and in this first edition 94 species are included. 3. Taxonomic Certainty? No of course not! This photographic guide is a teaching and study tool, if your work requires definitive species identification, this guide is not the right tool to be using. You should collect herbarium specimens, and compare them with the type specimens held in either the Herbarium in the Museum Nationale de Histoire Naturelle Paris (MNHN) or the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew), if this is your likely course of action you should contact the expert botanists of the Missouri Botanical Gardens, RBG Kew or Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza (PBZT) who specialise in taxonomy of Malagasy plants. It is unconventional to produce a guide like this and base its organisation on vernacular names. However, there are too few professional botanists, and inadequate resources available, to allow students to do all of their field study accompanied by taxonomic experts. To allow students to work alongside local botanists, to gain an understanding of the biodiversity and ecology of the spiny forest of the Mandrare Valley it was necessary to use vernacular names. The many challenges of using vernacular names of plants are well known (see Martin, 1995:218 for a discussion of these issues). The main issues which were encountered during the research for this guide were: 1. INCONSISTENT CLUMPING AND SPLITTING: There are several species of the genus Euphorbia which are known as Famata (reltisaka, amboa, sidriky, voay...). Local guides may clump or split these species and depending on their personal knowledge and perception of what visitors/students wish to know. Other 1 Fieldwork sites: Tsimilahy, Andohahela (Ankariera); Mahavelo/Anjatsikolo/Ambolihena (Ifotaka); Antsakoamasy, Ambia (Antanimora); Besakoa-Ambany, Anadabolava (Mahaly); Manave (Antanimora); Ranomainty, Ankodida (Ankariera/Tanandava). 2 Field Reports of surveys led or facilitated by the author : Ferguson et al 2000; Martin et al 2002; Gingell et al 2004; Denton et al 2004; Eboroke & Rakotomalaza 2007; Ahrens et al 2009. 3 Published Botanical Reference Works: Rowley, 1992; Schatz, 2001; Dransfield et al., 2006; Allorge, 2008; Rauh, 1998, Rapanarivo et al, 1999. plant species have various sub-species and varieties in existence, on occasion exhibiting very significant morphological differences from each other – for the sake of simplicity this edition of the guide has not tried to document the taxonomy beyond the level of species. 2. CONTIGUOUS AND OVERLAPPING RANGES: Some species have very restricted ranges, and species showing great similarities to each other may have either contiguous or overlapping ranges. One example of this is Alluaudia ascendens which is known as Sogny throughout its range on rocky substrates, but this species is largely restricted to the central and southern parts of the Mandrare valley. Outside the range of Alluaudia ascendens, in areas of unconsolidated sandy substrate (between Antanimora and Ambovombe for example) this name Sogny refers to Alluaudia humbertii. Where the two species co-exist Alluaudia humbertii is known as Sognombarike. 3. EXTREME RARITY AND LOCALISED DISTRIBUTIONS: Some species are extremely rare, and may not have their own vernacular names. This may lead to the species being ‘nameless’, clumped with another vernacular name or where the species does have a name it may only be known to local botanical specialists such as ombiasy (Traditional healers). The vernacular name ‘Vahondrandra’ is a good example of this – in Ranomainty, 24km east of Amboasary-Sud this refers to the rare and critically endangered Aloe suzannae. In Ifotaka, c60km to the north-west of Ranomainty, ‘Vahondrandra’ refers to a different unidentified aloe species found in Xerophylous Rocky Scrub. Students of the Libanona Ecology Centre in the field in Ifotaka to learn about spiny forest plants from local expert botanists (April 2009). 4. Historical Figures in the Taxonomy of Southern Madagascar’s Plants During research for the preparation of this guide it became clear that five historical figures in the taxonomy and conservation of southern Madagascar’s plants had made particularly important contributions. For some it was simply because of the quantity of Malagasy species which bear their names. Their contributions included collecting and describing new species, publishing books or cultivating threatened endemic species. This section provides posthumous biographical portraits for these five men, and purposefully does not include the many Malagasy and International botanists and conservationists who are currently engaged in work on the plants of the south. If you are interested in exploring this subject further you would enjoy the 1997 book by Laurence Dorr (Kew Publishing) which provides biographies of more than a thousand plant collectors of Madagascar. Perrier de la Bathie Photo: Wikipedia Joseph Marie Henri Alfred Perrier de la Bathie (1873-1958) was both a scholar of the plants of Madagascar who contributed significantly to the important publication La Flore de Madagascar et des Comores. Many herbarium specimens of the plants of southern Madagascar are found in the MNHN in Paris. Perrier de la Bathie also undertook various missions for the French colonial administration such as reconnaissance of the road network and a needs analysis for the south of Madagascar in 1919 (CAOM: D6 (9) 21). Many Malagasy plants bear his name ‘perrieri’. Humbert Henri Jean Humbert (1887-1967) was a French Botanist of the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), Paris. He carried out a great deal of work on the plants of Madagascar, undertaking numerous field missions starting in 1912, most notably editing ‘La Flore de Madagascar et des Comores’. Humberts visits to Andohahela in 1935 led to its designation as an Integral Nature Reserve in 1939. He was consulted as an expert in the late 1940’s to consider the value and impacts of cacti introduced in the 1920’s. Many type specimens of species of southern Madagascar are credited to Humbert and various endemics bear his name ‘humbertii’. Photo: Wikipedia Decary Photo: Wikipedia Raymond Decary (1891-1973) was a French Colonial Administrator posted to Madagascar from 1916-1945. A scholar of diverse disciplines from Anthropology and Geology to History and Linguistics, Decary also made numerous botanical collections across the south of Madagascar. He published widely, with arguably his most important work being a two volume monograph of the Androy region(1930, 1933). Decary’s collections of Madagascar were bequeathed to the MNHN and the ‘Musee de l’Homme’ in Paris. Numerous species endemic to the south bear his name ‘decaryi’ Rauh Werner Rauh (1914-2000), a German botanist from Saxony, spent most of his career and retirement at the University of Heidleberg. Rauh, a renowned botanist specialised in systematics, morphology and geography of plants. His interests included the cacti and desert succulents, rainforest epiphytes & plants of high mountain regions. He led numerous expeditions to Madagascar from 1956-1994, wrote more than 300 publications, and has several plants named after him. The second part of his two volume work on succulent and xerophytic plant of Madagascar is a must read for anyone interested in southern Madagascar’s plants. Photo: Dennis Cathcart Petignac Herman Petignac a Swiss botanist spent XX in southern Madagascar. He founded the Antsokay Arboretum in 1980 a botanical garden and small hotel which is now run by his son Andry. The arboretum is found 12km outside the city of Tulear in south-west Madagascar and has cultivated specimens of more than 900 species (over 90% of them endemic) – making it one of the best places to learn about the endemic species of the south. It has a small herbarium and is collaborating with the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew to collect seeds of the rarest species for the Millennium Seed Bank. 5. Overview of the Habitat Types in the Mandrare Madagascar has attracted the interest of botanists for centuries because of it many weird and wonderful plants from diverse habitat types. Putting appropriate and useful labels on these many habitat types is however not entirely straightforward. In the most generalised classification for Madagascar the rainforests are found in the east, dry deciduous forests in the west and spiny forests in the south. However the reality is much more nuanced than this general representation, and as knowledge and technology have advanced, particularly over the last century, the systems of classification of Madagascar’s forest habitats have also evolved a great deal. Historically a series of botanists specialising in Madagascar devised vegetation classification systems based on biogeography and floristic variation as well as ecological characteristics and vegetation types (Gautier & Goodman, 2003). Most of these systems are based on bioclimatic classifications of the island. The commonly cited systems are summarised in the box below. Most of those presented have clumped the dominant habitats of the dry southern region of Madagascar into one or two categories with only slight variations in name.4 Box 1 : Names use for Habitat Categories for Madagascar’s Spiny Forest Perrier de la Bathie 1921 : Didiera Bush Humbert & Cours Darne 1965: Southern Domain Didieraceae & Euphorbiaceae Series Koechlin, 1972; Xerophylous Thickets Koechlin et al 1974: Dense Dry Forest; Tree Dominated High Thicket; Scrub High Thicket; Scrub Low Thicket; Xerophylous Rock Scrub Cornet & Guillaumet 1976: Dry Thicket (Didieraceae & Euphorbia Series) White 1983: Type 41 West Malagasy Deciduous Thicket Faramalala 1995 : Dense Dry Forest of Didieraceae & Euphorbiaceae DuPuy & Moat 1996: Deciduous dry southern forest and scrubland WWF 1998: Madagascar Spiny Succulent Thicket Grubb, 2003: Semi-deciduous thickets Burgess et al 2004 : ‘Madagascar Spiny Thickets Ecoregion’ Moat & Smith 2007: South western dry spiny forest-thicket & degraded south western dry spiny forest On examination of the literature describing the systems as presented above, it becomes evident that the analysis by Koechlin et al. (1974:251) provides the most detailed proposal for habitat categories for the spiny forest so far available. Their work is principally based on the physiognomic characteristics of the habitats, using this basis, and an underpinning from Bioclimatic Characteristics they identify three categories of ‘spiny thicket’ (based predominantly on height and dominant growth form), the class ‘dense dry forest’ (typical of the west of Madagascar), and a ‘xerophylous rock scrub’ class. These habitat categories provide a useful entry point into learning about the biogeography, conservation and ecology of the spiny forest ecoregion, and this system has been used as a basis to propose a system of six general habitat classes for the natural forest and thickets found in the Mandrare Valley. Can we adequately describe spiny forest habitat diversity through the available classification systems? Not yet, spiny forest is naturally very heterogeneous, and we have a lot still to learn! As one comes to learn about the spiny forests, it becomes apparent that Koechlin’s categories conceal much of the inherent complexity of the plant distribution and habitat heterogeneity found in the spiny forest. For example, if one were to consider 4 NB – many of these categories have been translated from their original French which was more eloquent than the literal English translation! more closely just two of the 1974 habitat classes, ‘tree dominated high spiny thicket’ and ‘shrub dominated high spiny thicket’ we can see that many new sub-classes could potentially emerge. The plates below illustrate seven such examples where particular species are very dominant in a given area of Mandrare Valley Spiny Thicket. Examples can also be found where each of these species is entirely absent due to natural factors. This phenomenon demonstrates the limits of simplified habitat classification systems. Seven Examples of Spiny Forest Habitats with obvious dominance by an individual species in the Mandrare Valley, southern Madagascar. Top Left: Didiera trollii (Fenoaivo), Top Right: Ravenea xerophila (Anivo)(Antsakoamasy), Middle Left: Alluaudia procera (Fantiolotse)(Ranomainty), Middle Right: Euphorbia tirucalli (Famata)(Amboasarykely), Bottom Left: Alluaudia ascendens (Sogny)(Andavakosy), Bottom Middle: Alluaudia dumosa (Rohondroho) (Kobokara), Bottom Right: Cedrelopsis grevei (Katrafay)(Manave). Six Habitat Classes of Forests & Spiny Thickets in the Mandrare Valley Gallery Forest Gallery Forests are a riparian habitat, that is to say they are found along the edge of water courses on alluvial soils. These rare habitats are considered to be among the most threatened habitats in the south (Jolly et al, 2006:32) and are typically dominated by large Tamarind Trees and when mature they form a high canopy. Berenty, Bealoka and Behira (south of Ifotaka) are the principal remnant Gallery Forests in the Mandrare Valley. The Isantoria Valley (Ifotaka) also contains small fragments of Gallery Forest, some which (such as that in the photo to the right) are dominated by tree species other than the renowned tamarinds. Tree Dominated High Spiny Thicket This habitat is differentiated from dense dry forest principally on the basis that its tree strata is discontinuous, it may exceptionally attain 810m in height and it contains distinctive emergent such as species of the DIDIEREACEAE family. The tree strata typically dominates unstratified thick bushy vegetation below it. This habitat is common throughout the Mandrare Valley, Ranomainty, Ifotaka, Tsimilahy and Berenty all provide good opportunities for visits. For the purpose of this guide what is known as ‘Transitional Forest’ (that found in Parcel III of Andohahela National Park and on the summit of Ankodida Mountain) are considered to be a subcategory of ‘Tree Dominated High Spiny Thicket. Shrub Dominated High Spiny Thicket The principal difference between this habitat and its tree dominated equivalent is the absence of a visible tree strata or distinct canopy. The habitat is between 2 and 8 m in height (most typically 46m), is very dense, and consists of shrubs of many sizes and forms. The species of the DIDIEREACEAE and EUPHORBIACEAE families which dominate this habitat often have a form resembling cacti (F5, S11, M9, R5). This habitat common throughout the Mandrare Valley Ranomainty, Ifotaka, Tsimilahy and Berenty all provide good opportunities for visits. Shrub Dominated Low Spiny Thicket This habitat is said to be the analogue of the Tree Dominated Spiny Thicket. It entirely lacks a tree strata, being composed solely of a thick bushy strata, of less than 2m in height. In the Mandrare Valley, this habitat typically lacks species of the DIDIEREACEAE family, and may contain species from the EUPHORBIACEAE family or other small bottle formed trees (J1, D1-4). This habitat is typically found in areas with calcareous substrate, or with particularly sandy or infertile soils and extremely low rainfall. This habitat is easily seen at ‘Tanifotsy’ between Behara and Tranomaro, and in the coastal areas around Lac Anony between Analapatsy and Tanandava. Xerophylous Rock Scrub This type of habitat is best known from the rocky outcrops of the southern highlands of Madagascar (Ambalavao, Isalo). In the Mandrare valley there are many small patches of this type of vegetation, which is characterised by hard rock substrate. Species of Aloe, Xerophyta, Didieraceae and Pachypodium are typically present in a dispersed and often discontinuous cover of vegetation over the rocks. Variations of this habitat can be visited in Tsimilahy (Andohahela), Mahavelo (Ifotaka) or Vazahalava (Amboahangy). Sub Montane Spiny Forest This type of habitat is not currently recognised or formally described by other authors, but fieldwork in 2007 and 2008 (Singer 2009; Ferguson, in prep) strongly suggests that this formation merits its own class. Apart from the mountains forming the Anoysenne Chain, the Mandrare valley only has a small number of mountains which rise above 600m. Two notable areas which do rise to over 800m are Vohitsiombe and Vohidava. The habitat found above 650m on Vohidava visually resembles habitats of the highlands, with ‘proper trees’ with sclerophyllous leaves dominating the habitat. Transitional Spiny Forest at Ankodida (nr Summit) – this habitat type which is home to the two rare dryland palms (Lafa-Dypsis decaryi & Anivo-Ravenea xerophila (latter seen in this photograph)) has been included within the category ‘Tree Dominated Spiny Thicket’ in this photo guide, other authors consider it a distinct category. Vohitsiombe Mountain, taken from Southeast. Vohitsiombe (904m) is a volcanic plug, found near Ebelo in the centre of the Valley. On its flanks, areas of ‘sub-montane spiny forest’ can be found. This habitat, which is dominated by schlerophylous trees is also found on Vohidava (Anadabolava). 6. Plant Adaptations to the Semi-arid climates Another important aspect of spiny forest ecology to understand is that there are many highly adapted plant life forms which exist. Grubb (2003:134) proposes a useful system of this kind which describes seven classes of plant life form for examining the succulent and related life forms in semi-arid habitats, this is presented in the box and plates below. Box 2: Succulent & Specialised Plant Life Forms in Mandrare Valley Spiny Thickets (Plant codes from species included in this book listed in brackets) 1. Emergents with very spiny non-succulent stems – Alluaudia (F5, S11, S12), Decaryi (F7), Didiera (S10) 2. Trees with succulent ultimate shoots – Euphorbia (B1, F1, F2, F3, F10, M9) 3. Bottle Trees – Adansonia (Z1), Commiphora (D2, D3, D4, D5), Moringa (H6), Opercularia (J1), Pachypodium (V8) 4. Marginal Bottle Trees – Gyrocarpus (S6) Uncarina (F6) 5. Stem Succulents less than 2m tall – Euphorbia (juveniles of species in Category 2 above) 6. Leaf Succulents – Aloe (V2, V3, V4, V5), Kalanchoe (M7), Xerosicyos (T2) 7. Root or Rhizome Succulents – Dolichos(F4) (adapted extract from Grubb, 2003:134) Growth forms of spiny forest trees include many adaptations. As the climate of the spiny forest ecoregion is semi-arid water retention is among the most important of these. Above left is a stem cross section of Alluaudia ascendens – this pithy part of the stem was observed to have huge water storage capacity – water could still be wrung out more than 2 months after the tree had been felled to create an agricultural field in July 2008. The other two photos show similar, but less extreme water storage adaptation forms in the pithy character of inner and outer part of the trunk of two other unidentified species (Ifotaka). Specialised Life Forms of Spiny Forest Plants found in the Mandrare Valley, Madagascar (based on typology proposed by Grubb, 2003:134). 7. Mapping the Forest – ‘Artists Impressions’ and ‘Satellite Detection’5 Early Arab Maps dating from the 12th Century illustrate interpretations of the continent of Africa and offshore islands, and subsequently Chinese maps from the 14 th and start of the 15th centuries go on to represent many islands in the Indian Ocean, but it is difficult to clearly identify Madagascar from either of these sources. The first maps clearly marking the island of Madagascar emerged in the 15th Century, (Diverga, 1419 in Amelot, 2007) , with the first ‘modern’ map emerging in the early 16 th Century (Cantino, 1502 in Amelot, 2007). These early maps were prepared using information from traders and explorers, who typically didn’t venture far beyond the coastal ports. Efforts from the 17th century do begin to portray forests in the interior part of the island (Flacourt, 1656; Sanson, 1655) but it is not until later that maps began to portray the forest cover inland, The first cartographic portrayals of the forests of Madagascar emerged towards the end of the 19th century, maps of the island by the French naturalist Alfred Grandidier in 1871 & 1875 as well as maps by James Sibree a British Missionary in 1875 & 1879 were the first notable efforts to represent the geographical distributions of the forests. Both Sibree and Grandidier’s maps used greatly extrapolated ground information producing maps where the forests were presented as a ring formation around the Malagasy highlands. 1897 marked the start of maps of Madagascar including a differentiation between the different habitat types with the production of a map by Gautier which distinguished between spiny bush, forest and savannas. During the first half of the 20th century French colonisation and exploration of the island resulted in a profusion of maps being produced, but these frequently relied on extrapolation from limited ground data, and were often flawed due to the perceptions of the cartographer or the purpose of the maps. The next major advance in forest mapping came in the early 1950’s when the French Colonial Administration undertook aerial surveys of the island and prepared detailed topographical maps. These surveys took vertical photographs and were combined with ground surveys to produce a series of 1:100 000 maps covering the whole island. These maps are still in use up to the present day, although some have been updated with more recent aerial surveys and satellite mapping. In many cases, particularly in the dry areas less prone to cloud cover, the 1950’s maps presented very clearly the forest cover and were a very useful tool. 5 Much of the information for this section was derived from Amelot (2007) which beautifully presents a history of cartographic representations of Madagascar and its forests. Other materials were identified from archival work carried out in 2007 by the author in the CAOM, Aix-en-Provence. Then in 1988 Faramalala used Satellite images (Landsat) from 1973 to produce a more up to date forest cover map for the whole island. Subsequently, numerous maps were developed using progressively more advanced forms of satellite imagery. Currently high resolution images based on the advanced satellites such as SPOT and Quickbird (with pixels of less than 1m2) are available Google Earth for many forested areas of Madagascar. These huge advances in technology allowed the most recent forest mapping to be undertaken to produce a national map of broad habitat types in the first ‘Vegetation Atlas of Madagascar’ (Moat & Smith, 2007) and to track deforestation between 1990, 2000 & 2005 (MEFT et al., 2009). At present satellite technology is being used not only for the production of maps, but to provide real-time information on forest fires to forest managers and conservationists. Monitoring (Forest) Fires by Satellite: An interesting tool which has been developed for Madagascar concerns the monitoring of fires. The University of Maryland, NASA and Conservation International have teamed up to establish a satellite based fire monitoring system. Members of the public and conservation and forest practitioners can subscribe to receive weekly fire alerts in either their region of interest or for the whole island. This system uses a MODIS satellite is useful for detecting fires from slash and burn agriculture in forest areas. (firealerts.conservation.org) 8. An Overview of a Century of Conservation Action This section reviews the formal and legal conservation policies and management actions in the valley – it is not intended to present an analysis of threats or the customary practices of management of natural resources, nor does it comment on the efficacy of conservation interventions, present/past research, education or development activities. These aspects are considered elsewhere in this guide or in other publications. The Mandrare Valley has attracted the interest of ‘conservationists’ since early in the French Colonial Era. Following visits to the region by Humbert in 1935, Andohahela was declared Madagascar’s 11th Integral Nature Reserve (RNI), the parcel of rainforest declared at this time is now Parcel 1 (63,100ha) of Andohahela National Park, which was reclassified from the RNI status in 1997 (Fenn, 2003a). Subsequent visits by Humbert also led to the designation of a parcel of spiny forest (Parcel II – 12,420ha) and an area of transition spiny forest with a population of the local endemic palm Dypsis decaryi (Parcel III – 500ha). The next milestone in conservation was the establishment in 1930s of the de Heaulme family sisal plantation in the lower Mandrare Valley between Ifotaka and Amboasary-Sud. A factory and the de Heaulme family home were established at Berenty in this period. The creation of the de Heaulme sisal plantations, (one of five concessions allocated to ‘colon’ settlers in the lower Mandrare Valley) , led to the felling of an estimated 5000 hectares of spiny forest, while conserving 1000 hectares of both spiny and gallery forest through their designation as private reserves in 1936 (Goodman et al 1997; Jolly, 2006). These private reserve areas continue to exist today, and one of them, the 200ha Berenty Private Reserve is now among the most known and visited natural sites in Madagascar. The de Heaulme family who still own the reserve now have an almost 50 year long tradition of welcoming Malagasy and International researchers to the reserve, which has meant that the population of Ringtailed Lemurs (Lemur catta) in Berenty is arguably the most studied in Madagascar. The forest of Anadabolava in the upper reaches of the valley was a site of early colonial zoological research (CAOM, 6(9)D14 from 1907) and subsequently of various botanical surveys by Humbert, Decary and Perrier de la Bathie. The part of this forest on Vohidava Mountain became a classified forest in 1964 shortly after the end of the colonial era (l’arrêté N°2292 – MFR/FOR du 25/08/64, Randriatsivery, 2009), this status restricting use of the forest resources by the local communities for c6000 hectares (authors own estimate). Two sites of ‘Biological Interest’ (Site d’Interet Biologique of SIB) are recognised in the Mandrare Valley: Berenty Reserve and Lac Anony (Nicoll & Langrand 1989). It is unclear when either of them were allocated this status, but it is likely to have been between the late colonial period and the mid 1970 socialist revolution – as this is when most other SIBs were recognised. SIB status doesn’t carry any official protection – but does recognise the areas importance for biodiversity. Lac Anony is a 2350ha saline lake, 17km south of Amboasary-Sud which has long been both an important local fishery (Lamarque, 1953) and a more recently a recognised priority area for bird conservation along with the adjacent 1750ha Lac Erombo (Zicoma, 1999). The historical recognition of Andohahela, Berenty, Anadabolava and Lac Anony provided varying forms of conservation status for the 4 sites covering a total of about 87,000ha or 6.92% of the Mandrare Valley total area (1,257,000 hectares ). The last two decades have have however seen the most drastic changes in conservation policy and protected area designations in the Mandrare Valley (In terms of number of hectares protected anyway!). At the time of writing the situation is that there are presently 15 protected sites in existence, which cover more than 340,000 hectares or 37% of the area of the valley. The contemporary conservation picture has been dominated by three significant themes, firstly the liberalisation of protected areas started in the early 1990’s with many strict nature reserves becoming National Parks and having development activities allied to them. Secondly, policies and initiatives were developed at both the micro and mega scales with community forest management and ecoregion scale conservation planning emerging from the mid 1990’s. Thirdly, a massive expansion of diverse kinds of protected areas occurred following a presidential declaration in Durban in 2003. Strict ‘Integral Nature Reserves’ become accessible ‘National Parks’: In the late 1980’s serious efforts to reform and update the environment sector in Madagascar were initiated. An environmental charter was adopted and in 1990 a three phase 15 year national environmental action plan (NEAP) was started soon afterwards. The NEAP has led to the establishment of many new organisations and policies as well as the establishment and adaptation to the system of protected areas. In the Mandrare Valley these changes were manifested through the updating of the limits of Andohahela Strict Integral Nature Reserve (RNI), the implementation of a USAID funded Integrated Conservation and Development Project (ICDP) and the change of status from RNI to a National Park in 1997. Also important was the establishment of ANGAP (Association Nationale pour la Gestion des Aires Protegees) to manage the park. The status of National Park and new management regime allowed for the development of tourism in Andohahela as well as obliging ANGAP to make efforts to promote sustainable development in the communities living in the periphery of the park. Community Management of Forests and Ecoregion Scale Conservation Emerge: In the early 1990’s studies were conducted by American and French teams to help aid agencies and the Malagasy forest service design new policies for the management of forests outside the strict protected areas. Some of these studies, which were carried out in the environs of Andohahela (Rabesahala et al, 1994), and led to the establishment of Madagascar’s first Community Forestry Policies known as GELOSE (1996) and GCF (2000). These policies allow for the transfer of certain management activities and use rights to local community associations known as COBAs or VOI’s. The theory is that when these communities are empowered they will conserve forest and use it more sustainably than previously when they were not legally involved in managing their forests. Two of the earliest applications of the GCF policy in southern Madagascar were in the Mandrare Valley in the villages of Ifotaka (WWF, 2003) and Manave (PSDR, 2004). Community Forestry has met many challenges, and many scholars have criticised its In 1998 WWF launched an ecoregion conservation programme for the Spiny Forest Ecoregion (Fenn, 2003b), the programme was initially focused purely on the spiny forest ecoregion, but was subsequently extended to encompass the transitional zopne between spiny and dry tropical forest (WWF, 2001). The programme, known locally as ‘Ala Maiky’ (Malagasy for ‘Dry Forest’) began reconnaissance work in 1998 when WWF carryied out surveys of forests from the Mandrare Valley in the east to the Mikea Forests in the north-west of the ecoregion. This work led to the development of a vision for the conservation of the range of habitats found within the ecoregion. The biological reconnaissance and socio-economic assessments which were carried out in this initial period of Ala Maiky led to the identification of seven priority areas for conservation in the Mandrare valley, which, with the exception of the Anadabolava Classified Forest, had no form of formal protection in place: 1. The Forest Corridor between Andohahela’s Parcel I & II; 2. Anadabolava-Betsimalaho; 3. Ifotaka-Behara-Tranomaro; 4. Ankodida; 5. Lac Anony; 6. Ankodida; 7. Ifotaka South-Angavo. These areas then became sites of intervention for WWF and its partners to promote community forestry and conservation, environmental education as well as tourism and other development (ibid:1529). New Models of Protected Areas Established and New Protected Areas are Established In 2003 at the World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, the then President of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, was persuaded by conservation organisations to make a bold declaration that Madagascar would triple its protected areas (PAs) to cover 6,000,000 hectares within the following 5 years (Corson, 2008). This declaration would lead Madagascar to meeting the IUCN recommended standard where at least 10% of a nations lands should be held within protected areas. At the time of this declaration, which became known as the ‘Durban Vision’, Madagascar only had policy provision for strictly managed protected areas. The fact that the rural Malagasy population are typically dispersed throughout the forest landscapes which would be coming under protection, meant that there were very few opportunities for new strict nature reserve type PAs to be established. The International Conservation NGOs active in Madagascar with support from IUCN consultants then provided support for the Malagasy authorities to develop new types of protected areas which would cover the full diversity of IUCN categories, ranging from strict reserves, through private reserves to community managed sites. By 2008 a new protected areas code had been established, along with guidelines for the new types of protected areas which were being established. All of Madagascar’s protected areas are now part of the Madagascar System of Protected Areas (SAPM), directed by the Forest Administration (by DSAP). ANGAP was subsequently changed to Madagascar National Parks (MNP) and is responsible for managing most protected areas of IUCN Categories 1,2 & 4 under the direction of DSAP. As mentioned above the Mandrare Valley now has 15 protected sites recognised in law, although several of these are paper parks which have simply been granted temporary protection status in order to avoid irreversible damage by mining interests, and have not yet been implemented on the ground. 9. Protected and Managed Forest Areas of the Mandrare Valley (September 2009) No Name of Protected Manager/promoter Area 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Ambatoabo Corridor PI-PII Ambia (Mitakeba, Antsakoamasy) AnadabolavaBetsimalaho Anarafito-KintsoVohitsiombe Andohahela National Park Angavo WWF, Madagascar National Parks WWF Missouri Gardens WWF IUCN Management Category unknown Area (ha) c30,000 Part of SAPM Status (actual & anticipated) Yes Planned PA unknown c5,000 Yes 26,740 Yes Botanical V Planned PA Temporary Protection unknown c45,000 Yes Temporary Protection Madagascar National II 76,120 Yes Permanent Parks Protection WWF III 45,192 Yes Temporary Protection Ankodida WWF V 10,744 Yes Temporary Protection Beampingraritse WWF n/a c10,000 No Management Transfer Under Development Behara-Tranomaro WWF V c45,000 Yes Temporary Protection Beompa WWF unknown c10,000 Yes Planned PA Berenty & Bealoka de Heaulme Family unknown c1,000 No Privately Owned Private Reserves Reserve Nord-Ifotaka WWF V 22,256 Yes Temporary Protection Sud-Oeust Ifotaka WWF unknown c10,000 Yes Temporary Protection Voaymongotse WWF unknown c10,000 Yes Planned PA VohitsandriaWWF unknown c1000 Yes Temporary Analapatsy Protection Total Area under formal Management Arrangment or Protected Area (actual or anticipated) : 348,052hectares A PROPOSAL TO NOMINATE MANDRARE VALLEY AS A UNSECO MAN & BIOSPHERE RESERVE The most recent conservation initiative to recognise the biodiversity conservation importance of the Mandrare Valley is the initiation of proposals to nominate the whole valley to UNESCO as a Man and Biosphere (MAB) Reserve. The initiative was kick started by a Swedish-Malagasy team of researchers who proposed the establishment of a Androy-Spiny forest Biosphere reserve and was moved forward significantly in 2008-09 with the support of CI, WWF, ANGAP, MBG and the Libanona Ecology Centre. The proposals would see the 15 protected sites drawn together in a partnership mechanism where conservation, sustainable use and development zones are reinforced. An eventual ‘Mandrare Valley Biosphere Reserve’, if designated by UNESCO, would enable protected areas managers to achieve economies of scale for many of their activities, it would provide a mechanism to promote the interests of development for the people of the region and biodiversity conservation, as well as lobbying for external financial support and engagement with researchers at the landscape scale. To move the Mandrare Valley Biosphere Reserve proposal forward USAID and Conservation International provided funds in 2008-09 to undertake a feasibility study and consultations. Information has been disseminated to a broad range of stakeholders and consultations carried out with communities, government agencies, NGOs, and the private sector. Further consultations are underway with Malagasy and International researchers, as attaining UNESCO MAB status requires an engagement from scholars to continue carrying out applied research in support of sustainable conservation and development in the area. Categories of Protected Areas in Madagascar (SAPM, 2007) IUCN Category I II III IV V VI Madagascar’s Application of IUCN Management Categories (GoM, 2008) IUCN Management Objectives a) Strict Nature Reserve: Managed mainly for science. b) Wilderness Area : Managed mainly for wilderness values. National Park: Managed mainy for ecosystem protection and recreation. Natural Monument : Managed mainly for conservation of specific natural features. Habitat/Species Management Area: managed mainly for conservation through management intervention. Protected Landscape/Seascape: managed mainly for landscape/seascape conservation and recreation. Managed Resource Protected Area: managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems. Reserve Naturelle Intégrale (RNI) TAHIRIN-JAVABOAARY Integral Nature Reserve Parc National (PN) & Parc Naturel (PNAT) VALAN-JAVABOAARY National Park & Natural Park Monument Naturel (MONAT) TAHIRIM-BAKOKA VOAJANAHARY Natural Monument Reserve Spéciale (RS) TAHIRIN-JAVABOAARY Special Reserve Paysage Harmonieux Protégée (PHP) TONTOLO MIRINDRA VOAARO Protected Harmonious Landscape Reserve de Ressources Naturelles (RRN) TAHIRIN-KARENA VOAJANAHARY Natural Resource Reserve Governance Categories of Protected Areas Four Governance Categories Exist for Madagascar’s Protected Areas (SAPM 2007), although at present these are not described in the Protected Areas Code (COAP (GoM, 2008). In practice the governance categories are being used in the design of organisations/committees etc for the management of new protected areas. The Categories, (which correspond with the IUCN system) are: A] State Management; B] Co-management; C] Private Management (Aire Protégée Privée (APP)); D] Community Management (Aire Protégée Communautaire (APC)). 10. Priorities for Plant Conservation As it has already been said, there are many rare and endemic plants in the Mandrare Valley. This section is intended to present what the current priorities are for plant conservation in the region. Before entering into the presentation of what we know and perceive as plant conservation priorities, it is worth saying that there is a great deal that we do not yet know. We are fortunate that both the colonial and contemporary botanists have made numerous excursions into the forests of the Mandrare valley, and that their specimens have been deposited in the herbariums of Tsimbazaza, Paris, Kew and Geneva. However there are still many forests which have not been explored by scientists, and indeed there are new plant species out there which await description. The objective of this very guide is to provide a starting point for students interested in finding out more about the plants, ecology and conservation of the Mandrare Valley. This region has many sites which await scientific exploration, and plant taxa whose conservation status and distribution need updating. These topics could make for some fascinating subject matter for research expeditions and dissertations at various levels. However, it is vital that all fieldwork maintains the highest standards in its data collection – herbarium specimens should be well prepared, accompanied by detailed notes, photographs and geographical locations. Specimens should be deposited at the in-country herbaria at Antsokay (Tulear) and Tsimbazaza (Antananarivo). Species identification should be made using the most respected international sources, these are the herbaria in either Paris, Kew or Geneva and it should be done in consultation or collaboration with expert taxonomists working there for the Missouri Botanical Gardens (Antananarivo, Paris, St Louis) or the Royal Botanical Gardens (Kew, London). IUCN Red List Assessment At least 15 plant species appear on the IUCN Red List (2007), 10 of these species are within the categories ‘Critically Endangered’, ‘Endangered’, ‘Vulnerable’ or ‘Near Threatened’ – indicating that they are judged to be facing at least a high risk of extinction (or will do so in the near future) (IUCN, 2001). Further species are under assessment at the time of preparation of Version 1.0 of this guide (Phillipson, pers comm.). Vernacular Name Scientific Name Vahondrandra Unknown* Anivo Aloe suzannae Aloe helenae Ravenea xerophila Fandrivotse Hazobatango Lafa Unknown* IUCN Red List Status (2007) Critically Endangered Critically Endangered Endangered Sites in Mandrare Valley Ranomainty, Mitakeba (Ambia) Near Amboasary-Sud# Ankodida, Tsilamaha, Antsakoamasy, Betsimalaho, Ifotaka, Vohipary & Vohibasia (Andalatanosy).¤ Anjatsikolo (Ifotaka) Anadabolava, Ambolihena Ankazafotsy (Andohahela P3), Ankodida§ Ankodida¥ Euphorbia hedyotoides Endangered Indigofera cloiselii Vulnerable Dypsis decaryi Vulnerable Euphorbia Vulnerable ambovombensis Unknown* Euphorbia beharensis Vulnerable Unknown (species name is a derivation of Behara). Fantiolotse Alluaudia procera Near Threatened Most natural sites across Mandrare Valley Za Adansonia za Near Threatened Tranomaro, Mahaly, Ifotaka, Ranomainty, Tsimilahy ø Befoetse Euphorbia leucodendron Least Concern Most natural sites across Mandrare Valley Famata Euphorbia tirucalli Least Concern Most natural sites across Mandrare Valley Fihañe Euphorbia plagiantha Least Concern Most natural sites across Mandrare Valley Mañary Dalbergia trichocarpa Least Concern Most natural sites across Mandrare Valley Mozotse Euphorbia stenoclada Least Concern Most natural sites across Mandrare Valley * species which are not included in version 1.0 of this guide; # personal communication from RBG Kew; ¥ - Eboroke & Rakotomalaza (2007); ¤ Outside the Mandrare Valley this species is only known to occur in Tsimilofo (Beloha), Vohipary & Vohibasia; § - This species is only known from Parcel 3 of Andohahela (Ankazofotsy) and Ankodida; ø this species is locally common south of Tranomaro and west of Mahaly (N of Anadabolava) – in other sites it is less abundant. Important Plant Areas Plantlife International has an established approach for the identification of priority areas for plant conservation, known as Important Plant Area’s (IPAs). This system was applied by the Missouri Botanical Gardens Madagascar Programme by their initiation of a project known as ‘Assessment of Priority Areas for Plant Conservation’ (APAPC) in 2002. The project used a representative sample of c1200 Malagasy plants to run through a GIS analysis to identify spatial priorities for plants across the island. By late 2004 MBG had identified 77 IPA’s (MBG, 2005a,b) across Madagascar, and three of these were located inside the Mandrare Valley (part of a fourth is also within the valley. These analyses have fed into national priority setting for new protected areas under the Durbin Vision, and led MBG to begin intervention in the Anadabolava-Betsimalaho forest, which became a new protected area in late 2008. Important Plant Areas in the Mandrare Valley (APAPC, MBG, 2004) 11.List of Plants included in guide (arranged alphabetically by vernacular names) A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 C1 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12 F13 F14 F15 F16 F17 H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 Ahibe Andramahaky Angeriboka Anivo Avoha Ambirindolo Andapary Angalora Befoetse Beholitse Benono Boroa Beraboke Cobay/Kobahy Dagoa Daro Sengatse Daroanomby Darosike Darotandroke Famata Famata Relitsake Fandrivotse Fangitse Fantiolotse Farehetse Fengoke Fihamy Fihañe Famatasidriky Fandrangy Faty Dronono Fiong/Fio Feka Filo Filo Forofoke Halamboro Hazamboromahalao Hazo ringitse Hazobatango Hazolava/Handy Hazomalañe Panicum maximum (var effusum) Commelina ramulosa Asparagus schumanianus Ravenea xerophila Alantsilodendron decaryanum Dichrostachys sp Grewia andramparo Secamonopsis madagascariensis Euphorbia leucodendron Hymenodictyon decaryi Acacia rovumae Tetradenia nervosa Marsdenia verrucosa Terminalia sp Strychnos decussata Commiphora simplicifolia Commiphora aprevalii Commiphora cf mahafaliensis Commiphora orbicularis Euphorbia tirucalli Euphorbia laro Euphorbia hedyotoides Dolichos fangitsa Alluaudia procera Uncarina leandri Senna leandrii Ficus grevei Euphorbia plagiantha Pandanus sp Deacaena sp. Evonymopsis longipes Asparagus sp (probablyshumanianus) Tabarnaemontana coffeoides Azima tetracantha Diospyros sp Albizia balabaka Albizia mahalao Hilsenbergia leslieae Indigofera cloiselii Neobeguea mahafaliensis Moringa drouhardii POACEAE COMMELINACEAE LILIACEAE ARECACEAE FABACEAE FABACEAE MALVACAE ASCLEPIADACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE RUBIACEAE FABACEAE LAMIACEAE ASCLEPIADACEAE COMBRETACEAE LOGANIACEAE BURSERACEAE BURSERACEAE BURSERACEAE BURSERACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE FABACEAE DIDIEREACEAE PEDALIACEAE FABACEAE MORACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE PANDANACEAE ASPARAGACEAE CELASTRACEAE ASPARAGACEAE APOCYNACEAE SALVADORACEAE EBENACEAE FABACEAE FABACEAE BORAGINACEAE FABACEAE MELIACEAE MORINGACEAE H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 J1 K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 Hazomby Hazomena Hazonta Herotse Hily/Hiliñe Hafondramena Hetonge Hazomante Hororoke Jabihy Katrafay Kily Kinana Kirava Kompitse Kororoke Kolohoto Korobaza Kitohy Lafa Lalois Lambakoaky Lambigña Lamoty Lazane Maintefo Mañary Mang/Mangily Manongo Marandoha M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M11 M12 M12 N1 O1 R1 R2 R3 R4 Mendorave Mongy Mosesi Mozotse Maharoake Mafaibelona Menarike Maninjo Neem Osañe Raketa Raketa Mena Raketandambo Relefo Croton sp. Securinega capuronii Rhigozum madagascariense Euphorbia intisy Stereospermum nematocarpum Lasiosiphon decaryi Unknown species Vinguierathus sp Thylachium sp Operculicarya decaryi Cedrelopsis grevei Tamarindus indica Ricinus communis Mimosa deliculata Pentopetia grevei Crateva excelsa Boesqueia sp Euphorbia sp Cissus quadrangularis Dypsis decaryi Agave sisalana Crinum xerophilum Baudouinia fluggeiformis Flacourtia ramontchi Cyphostemma sp Diospyros humbertiana Dalbergia trichocarpa Hibiscus ambovombensis Zanthoxylum decaryi Coptosperma ribbrechtii OR Enterospermum pruinosum Albizia tulearensis Kalanchoe beharensis Malleastrum gracile Euphorbia stenoclada Myrothamnus moschatus Strycnos sp Grewia humbertii UNKNOWN Azadirachta indica Xerophyta dasylirioides Opuntia ficus-indica Opuntia stricta Opuntia linguiformis Strychnos sp (madagascaiensis or EUPHORBIACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE BIGNONIACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE BIGNONIACEAE THYMEELIACEAE UNKNOWN FAMILY FABACEAE CAPPARIDACEAE ANACARDIACEAE MELIACEAE FABACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE FABACEAE ASCLEPIDACEAE CAPPARACEAE MORACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE VITACEAE ARECACEAE AMARYLLIDACEAE AMARYLLIDACEAE FABACEAE FLACOURTIACEAE VOTACEAE EBENACEAE FABACEAE MALVACEAE RUTACEAE RUBIACEAE FABACEAE CRASSULACEAE MELIACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE MYROTHAMNACEAE LOGANIACEAE MALVACAE FABACEAE MELIACEAE VELLOZIACEAE CACTACEAE CACTACEAE CACTACEAE LOGANIACEAE decussata) R5 Rohondroho Alluaudia dumosa R6 Romena Mimosa onilahensis R7 Ropiteke Acacia pervillei R8 Raketa Courrant Cylindropuntia bigelovii R9 Roy Acacia farnesiana R10 Ringitse Hilsenbergia sp S1 Sakoa Scelrocarya birrea subsp. caffra S2 Sakoandalitse Poupartia sp (sylvatica or minor) S3 Savoa Jatropha curcas S4 Sely Grewia sp (cloiselii or triflora) S6 Siro Siro Gyrocarpus americanus S7 Sofa Sofa Mundulea sp. OR Tephrosia alba S8 Somangipake Boscia longfolia S9 Somotsoy Fernandoa madagascariensis S10 Sohongidretraky Didierea trollii S11 Songombarike Alluaudia humbertii S12 Songy Alluaudia ascendens S13 Sahondra Plumbago aphylla S14 Sasavy Salvadora angustifolia T1 Taintsandangy Securinega capuronii T2 Takisakisaky/Tapisaky Xerosicyos danguyi T3 Taly Hazobe Terminalia mantaly T4 Taly Tivoka Terminalia divaricata T5 Trongatse Catharanthus roseus T6 Tsiongake Rhopalocarpus lucidus T7 Tsivokoa Sifaka Rinorea greveana T8 Tsimena Mollugo sp T9 Tsingaryfary Senna leandri T10 Tabarike Grewia androyensis T11 Taolonkafotse Grewia sp T12 Tarantagne Unknown species T12 Taly Forokoko Terminalia tropophylla V1 Vahenamalo Vanilla decaryana V2 Vahombe Aloe vaombe V3A Vahondrandra (Rm) Aloe suzannae V4 Vahondrandra (If) Aloe sp. V5 Vahontsoy Aloe divaricata V6 Vaovy Tetrapterocarpon geayi V7 Vinoanga Hildegardia erythrosiphon V8 Vontaka Pachypodium lamerei V9 Valeandro Quivisianthe papinae V10 Vendrangy Pandanus sp. V11 Vaovendraky Vangueria madagascariensis V12 Vahipoty Combretum meridionalis DIDIEREACEAE FABACEAE FABACEAE CACTACEAE FABACEAE BORAGINACEAE ANACARDIACEAE ANACARDIACEAE EUPHORBUACEAE TILACEAE HERNANDIACEAE FABACEAE CAPPARACEAE BIGNONIACEAE DIDIEREACEAE DIDIEREACEAE DIDIEREACEAE PLUMBAGINACEAE SALVADORACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE CUCURBITACEAE COMBRETACEAE COMBRETACEAE APOCYNACEAE SPHAEROSEPALACEAE VIOLACEAE MULLUGONACEAE FABACEAE MALVACEAE MALVACEAE APOCYNACEAE COMBRETACEAE ORCHIDACEAE LILACEAE LILACEAE LILACEAE LILACEAE FABACEAE STERCULIACEAE APOCYNACEAE MELIACEAE PANDANACEAE RUBIACEAE COMBRETACEAE V13 V14 V15 Z1 Z2 Vorobaza Vahipindy Volotsitomboke Za Zanapoly Euphorbia sp Hippocratea sp Kalanchoe arborescens Adansonia za Croton sp. 12. Bibliography GOM, 2008 SAPM 2007 Corson 2008 WWF 2001 Fenn 2003a Fenn 2003b Rabesahala et al 1994 Burgess 2004 Cornet 1974 Phillipson 1996/7 Ferguson et al 2000 Martin et al 2002 Gingell et al 2004 Denton et al 2004 Eboroke & Rakotomalaza 2007 Ahrens et al 2009 Singer 2009 Grubb 2003 Amelot 2007 Rocca 1951 Rowley 1992 Schatz 2001 Dransfield et al 2006 Allorge 2008 Rauh 1998 Rapanarivo et al 1999 Martin 1995 Dorr 1997 CAOM D6(9)21 Decary 1930, 1933 Goodman et al 1997 Jolly et al 2006 CAOM6(9)D14 1907 Randriatsivery 2009 Gautier & Goodman 2000 Perrier de la Bathie 1921 Humbert & Cours Darne 1965 Koechlin 1972 Koechlin et al 1974 Cornet & Guillamot 1976 White 1983 Faramalala 1995 DuPuy & Moat 1996 WWF 1998 Moat & Smith 2007 MEFT et al 2009 Lamarque 1953 ZICOMA 1999 MBG 2005a MBG 2005b EUPHORBIACEAE CELASTRACEAE CRASSULACEAE MALVACEAE EUPHORBIACEAE A1 Ahibe Panicum maximum (var effusum) POACEAE A2 Andramahaky Commelina ramulosa COMMELINACEAE A3 Angeriboka Asparagus schumanianus LILIACEAE A4 Anivo Ravenea xerophila ARECACEAE EN A5 Avoha Alantsilodendron decaryanum Dichrostachys alluaudiana FABACEAE A6 AMBIRINDOLO Dichrostachys sp A7 ANDAPARY Grewia andramparo A8 ANGALORA Secamonopsis madagascariensis ASCLEPIADACEAE B1 Befoetse Euphorbia leucodendron EUPHORBIACEAE LC B2 Beholitse Hymenodictyon decaryi RUBIACEAE (query pending may be incorrect) B3 Benono Acacia rovumae FABACEAE B4 Boroa Tetradenia nervosa LAMIACEAE B5 BERABOKE Marsdenia verrucosa ASCLEPIADACEAE C1 Cobay/Kobahy Terminalia sp D1 Dagoa Strychnos decussata LOGANIACEAE D2 Daro Sengatse Commiphora simplicifolia BURSERACEAE D3 Daroanomby Commiphora aprevalii BURSERACEAE D4 Darosike Commiphora cf mahafaliensis BURSERACEAE D5 Darotandroke Commiphora orbicularis BURSERACEAE F1 Famata Euphorbia tirucalli EUPHORBIACEAE LC F2 Famata Relitsake Euphorbia laro EUPHORBIACEAE F3 Fandrivotse Euphorbia hedyotoides EUPHORBIACEAE EN F4 Fangitse Dolichos fangitsa FABACEAE F5 Fantiolotse Alluaudia procera DIDIEREACEAE NT F6 Farehetse Uncarina leandri PEDALIACEAE F8 Fengoke Senna leandrii FABACEAE F9 Fihamy Ficus grevei (cf megapoda) MORACEAE F10 Fihañe Euphorbia plagiantha EUPHORBIACEAE LC F11 FAMATASIDRIKY Pandanus sp (probably Pandanus aridus) F12 FANDRANGY, TAVEVOLA, Deacaena sp. F13 FATY DRONONO Evonimopsis longipes F14 Fiong (fio) Asparagus sp (probably shumanianus) ASPARAGACEAE F15 FEKA Tabarnaemontana coffeoides APOCYNACEAE F16 FILO FILO Azima tetracantha SALVADORACEAE F17 FOROFOKE Diospyros sp EBENACEAE (KEW) Enterospermum sp RUBIACEAE(SM) H1 Halamboro Albizia balabaka (polyphylla) FABACEAE H2 Hazamboromahalao Albizia mahalao FABACEAE H3 Hazo ringitse Hilsenbergia leslieae BORAGINACEAE H4 Hazobatango Indigofera cloiselii FABACEAE VU H5 Hazolava/Handy Neobeguea mahafaliensis MELIACEAE H6 Hazomalañe Moringa drouhardii MORINGACEAE H7 Hazomby Croton sp. EUPHORBIACEAE H8 Hazomena Securinega capuronii EUPHORBIACEAE H9 Hazonta Rhigozum madagascariense BIGNONIACEAE H10 Herotse Euphorbia intisy EUPHORBIACEAE H11 Hily/Hiliñe Stereospermum nematocarpum BIGNONIACEAE H12 HAFONDRAMENA Lasiosiphon decaryi THYMEELIACEAE H13 HETONGE H14 HAZOMANTE Vinguierathus sp FABACEAE H15 HOROROKE Thylachium sp CAPPARIDACEAE J1 Jabihy Operculicarya decaryi ANACARDIACEAE K1 Katrafay Cedrelopsis grevei MELIACEAE K2 Kily Tamarindus indica FABACEAE K3 Kinana Ricinus communis EUPHORBIACEAE K4 Kirava Mimosa deliculata FABACEAE K5 Kompitse Pentopetia grevei ASCLEPIDACEAE K6 Kororoke Crateva excelsa CAPPARACEAE K7 KOLOHOTO Boesqueia sp MORACEAE K8 KOROBAZA Euphorbia sp EUPHORBIACEAE K9 KITOHY/KOTOHY Cissus quadrangularis VITACEAE L1 Lafa Dypsis decaryi ARECACEAE VU L2 Lalois Agave sisalana AMARYLLIDACEAE L3 Lambakoaky Crinum xerophilum AMARYLLIDACEAE L4 Lambigña Baudouinia fluggeiformis FABACEAE L5 Lamoty Flacourtia ramontchi indica FLACOURTIACEAE L6 M1 LAZANE (LAZA) Maintefo Cyphostemma sp Diospyros humbertiana VOTACEAE EBENACEAE M2 Mañary Dalbergia trichocarpa (kew query sp) FABACEAE LC M3 Mang (mangily) Hibiscus ambovombensis MALVACEAE M4 Manongo Zanthoxylum decaryi RUTACEAE M5 Marandoha Coptosperma ribbrechtii (Kew) Enterospermum pruinosum (PJR) RUBIACEAE M6 Mendorave Albizia tulearensis greveana FABACEAE M7 Mongy Kalanchoe beharensis CRASSULACEAE M8 Mosesi Malleastrum gracile MELIACEAE M9 Mozotse Euphorbia stenoclada EUPHORBIACEAE LC M10 MAHAROAKE M11 Myrothamnus moschatus MAFAIBELONA Strycnos sp MYROTHAMNACEAE LOGANIACEAE M12 MENARIKE (MENAROKE) Grewia humbertii MALVACAE M12 MANINJO N1 Neem UNKNOWN Azadirachta indica FABACEAE MELIACEAE O1 Osañe Xerophyta dasylirioides VELLOZIACEAE R1 Raketa Opuntia ficus-indica CACTACEAE R2 Raketa Mena Opuntia stricta CACTACEAE R3 Raketandambo Opuntia linguiformis CACTACEAE R4 Relefo Strychnos madagascaiensis (PJR) Strychnos decussata (SM) LOGANIACEAE R5 Rohondroho Alluaudia dumosa DIDIEREACEAE R6 Romena Mimosa onilahensis latispinosa FABACEAE R7 Ropiteke Acacia pervillei sakalava FABACEAE R8 RAKETA COURRANT Cylindropuntia bigelovii CACTACEAE R9 ROY Acacia farnesiana FABACEAE R10 RINGITSE Hilsenbergia sp BORAGINACEAE S1 Sakoa Scelrocarya birrea subsp. caffra ANACARDIACEAE S2 Sakoandalitse Poupartia sylvatica (PJR) Poupartia minor (Kew) ANACARDIACEAE S3 Savoa Jatropha curcas EUPHORBUACEAE S4 Sely Grewia cloiselii (PJR) Grewia triflora(KEW) TILACEAE S6 Siro Siro Gyrocarpus americanus HERNANDIACEAE S7 Sofa Sofa Mundulea sp. (PJR) Tephrosia alba (SM) FABACEAE S8 Somangipake Boscia longfolia CAPPARACEAE S9 Somotsoy Fernandoa madagascariensis (queried by KEW) BIGNONIACEAE (ASCELPIADACEAE (SM)) S10 Sohongidretraky Didierea trollii DIDIEREACEAE S11 Songombarike Alluaudia humbertii DIDIEREACEAE S12 Songy Alluaudia ascendens DIDIEREACEAE S13 SAHONDRA Plumbago aphylla PLUMBAGINACEAE S14 SASAVY Salvadora angustifolia SALVADORACEAE T1 Taintsandangy Securinega capuronii EUPHORBIACEAE T2 Takisakisaky Tapisaky Xerosicyos danguyi CUCURBITACEAE T3 Taly Hazobe Terminalia mantaly COMBRETACEAE T4 Taly Tivoka Terminalia divaricata COMBRETACEAE T5 Trongatse Catharanthus roseus APOCYNACEAE T6 Tsiongake Rhopalocarpus lucidus SPHAEROSEPALACEAE (RHOPALOCARPACEAE (SM)) T7 Tsivokoa Sifaka Rinorea greveana VIOLACEAE T8 TSIMENA Mollugo sp T9 TSINGARYFARY Senna leandri MULLUGONACEAE FABACEAE-CAESALPINIOIDEAE T10 TABARIKE Grewia androyensis MALVACEAE T11 TAOLONKAFOTSE Grewia sp MALVACEAE T12 TARANTAGNE UNKNOWN APOCYNACEAE T12 TALY FOROKOKO Terminalia tropophylla COMBRETACEAE V1 Vahiamalo OR Vahenamalo Vanilla decaryana (or Vanilla madagascariensis (SM) ORCHIDACEAE V2 Vahombe Aloe vaombe (or Aloe vahombe) LILACEAE V3A Vahondrandra (Ranomainty) Aloe suzannae LILACEAE V4 Vahondrandra (Ifotaka) Aloe sp. LILACEAE V5 Vahontsoy Aloe divaricata LILACEAE V6 Vaovy Tetrapterocarpon geayi FABACEAE V7 Vinoanga Hildegardia erythrosiphon STERCULIACEAE V8 Vontaka Pachypodium lamerei APOCYNACEAE V9 VALEANDRO Quivisianthe papinae (KEW DISAGREE and think it is Astrotrichilia valiandro) MELIACEAE V10 VENDRANGY Pandanus sp. PANDANACEAE V11 VAOVENDRAKY Vangueria madagascariensis RUBIACEAE V12 VAHIPOTY Combretum meridionalis COMBRETACEAE V13 VOROBAZA Euphorbia sp EUPHORBIACEAE V14 VAHIPINDY Hippocratea sp (rubiginosa or tulasnei) Celastraceae (Hipocratoideae) V15 VOLOTSITOMBOKE Kalanchoe arborescens (kew) Kalanchoe geroldii (sm) CRASSULACEAE Z1 Za Adansonia za MALVACEAE (exBOMBACACEAE) NT Z2 Zanapoly Croton sp. EUPHORBIACEAE