Masoala
| Masoala | |
 Coast of the Masoala Peninsula |
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| Geographical location | |
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| Coordinates | 15 ° 39 ′ 0 ″ S , 50 ° 11 ′ 0 ″ E |
| Waters 1 | Indian Ocean |
Masoala is a peninsula in northeast Madagascar ( Antsiranana Province ), surrounded by the Indian Ocean . The Cap Est in the north of the peninsula is the easternmost point of Madagascar. The Masoala Peninsula forms the Bay of Antongil . The landscape is hilly (up to 1311 m above sea level) and still largely covered with tropical rainforest . Significant areas of the Masoala Peninsula are part of the Masoala National Park .
Partnership with the Zurich Zoo
Masoala kely ( Little Masoala ) was the name given by Malagasy guests to a rainforest hall that openedin Zurich Zoo in the summer of 2003. The rainforest house ,unique in Europe in this size,depicts a piece of the Masoala rainforest in Switzerland .
Zurich Zoo uses part of the proceeds to support projects in the Masoala National Park, the Masoala Be ( Great Masoala ). A third of the park's budget now comes from Switzerland. In addition, the local population is supported to improve their rice cultivation methods in order to secure their food and prevent further slash and burn, and projects of the infrastructure around the park are funded. Masoala kely is also supposed to bring nature-conscious tourists to Madagascar. The income from this gentle tourism should be an incentive for the local population to preserve the last rainforest reserves on the fourth largest island in the world.
The rapid growth of plants and brisk offspring in the animals show that the artificial rainforest is good for them. For the first time outside Madagascar the endangered bird species mane ibis ( Lophotibis cristata ) was rearing, and for the first time in captivity the rearing of blue-headed terracotta ( Atelornis pittoides ). The intervention of the district keepers in the flora is reduced to a minimum. The animals, on the other hand, have to be fed because the plants and insects in the hall do not provide sufficient food.
literature
- Alex Rübel , Mathew Hatchwell, James MacKinnon: Masoala - The Eye of the Forest . Th. Gut Verlag, Stäfa 2003, ISBN 3-85717-155-3
- Nomination des Forêts Humides de l'Atsinanana pour inscription sur la liste du Patrimoine Mondial - UNESCO par le Gouvernement de la République de Madagascar
- Eva Keller: The banana plant and the moon: Conservation and the Malagasy ethos of life in Masoala, Madagascar , American ethnologist, Vol. 35, No. 4 2008, pp. 650-664.
