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The accomodations consist of simple open bungalows with mosquito nets and electricity but camping is also possible. Kirindy is a one-day stop for most visitors -- actually many visitors only stop here for a night hike on their way to somewhere else. Having four days here gives me more time to explore some of the outer reaches of the reserve but I'd recommend a shorter stay for most people. This time of year (the cool dry season) much of the wildlife (especially repitles and amphibians) are hibernating. The forest is also very dry whereas during the rainy season much of the area of flooded and bright green leaves cover most of the plants. Kirindy is not accessible from mid-January to late March due to the rain. journal Province: Toliary (Tuléar) Area: 10,000 Protected area status: Private reseve Year established: General location: Western Location and Access: About an hour from Morondava Climate: Western deciduous forest Average temperature: 14-33°C* Elevation: Precipitation: Description: Kirindy is a place of extreme seasonal changes. A short, hot rainy season between December and February (where temperatures may top 40 C) is followed by nine months with little rain and cool temperatures. During this dry season, Kirindy's forest is brown, many trees are virtually leafless, and much of Kirindy's wildlife is in hibernation. Every rainy season, Kirindy explodes in verdant green vegetation and its many species of reptiles and amphibians become active. FAUNA Birds: Reptiles: 50 Chameleons: 7 Snakes: 11 Frogs: 15 Mammals: 31 Lemurs: 8 Rodents: 5 Insectivores: 7 Bats: 7 Carnivores: 3 Lemur species: FLORA: Species: Dominant ethnic group(s): Sakalava Additional notes: See journal Photos of Kirindy from Piotr Lukasik and other participants in the 2004 Tropical Biology Association Field Course. Giant Jumping Rat MAP/Satellite Picture KIRINDY PHOTOS
Pictures on this site were taken with a Konica Minolta |
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RECENT NEWS Photos: 'Tarzan' chameleon discovered in Madagascar (08/31/2010) Scientists have discovered a new species of chameleon in a small block of rainforest in Madagascar. Logging crisis pushes Madagascar's forests on to UNESCO's Danger List (08/01/2010) UNESCO's World Heritage committee has added Madagascar's unique tropical forests to its Danger List of threatened ecosystems. The move comes following a drawn-out illegal logging crisis that has seen loggers and traders infiltrating the island-nation's national parks for rosewood. Bushmeat hunting of lemurs and other rare species also accompanied the crisis. If Madagascar's biodiversity is to be saved, international community must step up (07/27/2010) The international community's boycott of environmental aid to Madagascar is imperiling the island's unique and endangered wildlife, according to a new report commissioned by the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Bureau of Africa. International aid to the desperately poor nation slowed to a trickle after a government coup last year, including a halt on environmental funding from the US government. Since then the island has experienced an environmental crisis: illegal loggers and traders began decimating protected areas, and the wildlife trade, including hunting endangered lemurs for bushmeat, took off. The illegal logging cycle in Madagascar (06/23/2010) The latest issue of the journal Madagascar Conservation & Development provides a comprehensive look into Madagascar's illegal logging trade, which has generated more than $200 million for a small group of individuals over the past year. The trade, which spikes just prior to national elections and may be a source of funds for ruling politicians, has taken a heavy toll on the lowland rainforests of Madagascar, with targeted species now at risk of extinction. Rainforest slaughter continues in Madagascar despite "ban" on timber exports (06/21/2010) New eyewitness reports indicate continued logging of Madagascar's Masoala National Park for rosewood despite a government "moratorium" on logging and timber exports. A source near Marofinaritra, a town between Masoala and Antalaha, reports heavy night-time movement of trucks carrying illegally logged timber from the park. The wood is believed to be destined for Antalaha, a regional hub for the rosewood trade. Madagascar resumes shipments of illegally logged timber despite moratorium (06/10/2010) Albert Camille Vital, Madagascar's Prime Minister under the regime that seized power during a coup on the Indian Ocean island nation last year, approved this week's shipment of nearly $16 million worth of timber illegally logged from the country's rainforest parks, according to documents provided to mongabay.com. Already on the edge, lemurs could become victims of climate change (06/08/2010) Expanding beyond well-known victims such as polar bears and coral reefs, the list is growing of species likely to be hard hit by climate change: from lizards to birds to amphibians. Now a new study has uncovered another group of species vulnerable to a warmer world: lemurs. French company to break moratorium on shipments of illegally logged rosewood from Madagascar (06/03/2010) SEAL, a French transport company, is scheduled to ship 79 containers of rosewood tomorrow from the port of Toamasina on its vessel Terra Bona, reports Midi Madagascar. The shipment comes less than three months after Madagascar's ruling authority banned timber exports after international uproar over the organized logging of the country's national parks in the aftermath of last year's military coup. SEAL's shipment of timber will be in direct violation of the moratorium. 'No hope now remains' for the Alaotra grebe (05/31/2010) World governments have missed their goal of stemming biodiversity loss by this year, instead biodiversity loss has worsened according to scientists and policy-makers, and a little rusty-colored bird, the Alaotra grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus) is perhaps a victim of this failure to prioritize biodiversity conservation. Native to a small region in Madagascar, the grebe has been declared extinct by BirdLife International and the IUCN Red List due to several factors including the introduction of invasive carnivorous fish and the use of nylon gill-nets by local fishermen, which now cover much of the bird's habitat, and are thought to have drowned diving grebes. The bird was also poached for food. Researchers: Madagascar rosewoods deserve CITES protection (05/27/2010) A new policy paper in Science warns that several species of Madagascar's rosewood could be pushed to extinction due to a current illegal logging crisis on the island. These hardwood species should be considered for protection under Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the researchers conclude. More news GEAR 
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