Arboretum d'Antsokay

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Entrance to the arboretum 2009.

The Arboretum d'Antsokay ( Antsokay Arboretum ) is a botanical garden near the city of Toliara in Madagascar . About 900 species of plants are grown in the arboretum, 90% of which are endemic to Madagascar and 80% of which have medicinal uses; many are threatened with extinction.

The Arboretum d'Antsokay works on conservation projects with the organization of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew , the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).

geography

Pachypodium in the arboretum, 2012.
Didierea in the arboretum, 2012.
Warty chameleon ( Furcifer verrucosus ) in the arboretum, 2018.
White-throated silk cuckoo ( Coua ruficeps ) in the arboretum, 2013.

The arboretum is located on the RN7 , approximately 12 km southeast of the city and only 6 km from Toliara Airport and 2 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn . It is open during the day and only closed in February.

The surrounding area in the coastal plain of Ankilibe in the province of Toliara II is a natural Madagascar Spiny Forest , a typical desert habitat and an ecoregion that is unique to Madagascar. The site has an area of ​​40 ha. The subsoil consists mainly of limestone and reddish calcium-poor sand. The region is called "Antsokaha", which means "lime" in Malagasy . It is 3 km to the coast on the Strait of Mozambique and the small mountain La Table is nearby .

The arboretum is the main attraction in Toliara ( Rough Guides ).

Facilities

The arboretum has an information center with a small museum (with rocks, fossils and an elephant bird egg ( aepyornis )), an exhibition of musical instruments and local handicrafts, a shop and restaurant, and an Auberge de la Table guest house . Guided tours are conducted in English.

Flora and fauna

Commiphora , Adansonia , Didierea madagascariensis , Kalanchoe , Pachypodium and Alluaudia procera are the best-known plants that are kept in the arboretum.

Mouse lemurs ( Microcebus ) live freely in the arboretum. There are also 34 species of birds and 25 species of reptiles . Birds include white-throated silky cuckoo ( Coua ruficeps ), Madagascar falcon ( Falco newtoni ) and the bee-eater Merops superciliosus . The arboretum is involved in conservation efforts for the radiated tortoise.

history

The Swiss botanist and conservationist Herman Petignat founded the arboretum in 1980.

Together with Werner Rauh, Herman Petignat discovered numerous plant species. These include Euphorbia spinicapsula , Euphorbia kamponii , Euphorbia suzannae-marnierae, and Aloe ruffingiana . Ceropegia petignatii and Cynanchum petignatii were named after Petignat by Rauh.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Botanical Gardens Conservation International
  2. ↑ Lonely Planet - Arboretum d'Antsokay. Lonely Planet .
  3. ↑ a b Mada Magazine - Arboretum d'Antsokay.
  4. ↑ geonames.org .
  5. ↑ Malagasy Dictionary and Encyclopedia of Madagascar
  6. ↑ a b c Rough Guides - Arboretum d'Antsokay .
  7. ↑ Tulear Tourisme .
  8. ^ Mada Magazine - Clad in Armor, but Hardly Protected - The Radiated Tortoise .
  9. ↑ Lonely Planet - Arboretum d'Antsokay .

Coordinates: 23 ° 24 ′ 52 ″  S , 43 ° 45 ′ 20 ″  O