Masoala National Park

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Masoala National Park
Lemur in the national park
Lemur in the national park
Masoala National Park (Madagascar)
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Coordinates: 15 ° 39 ′ 0 ″  S , 50 ° 11 ′ 0 ″  E
Location: Fianarantsoa , Madagascar
Specialty: Tropical rain forest
Next city: Maroantsetra
Surface: 2400 km²
Founding: 1997
Endemic flattail gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus)
Endemic flattail gecko ( Uroplatus fimbriatus )
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The Masoala National Park ( French Parc national de Masoala ) is located on the Masoala peninsula in northeast Madagascar . The national park was designated on March 1, 1997 and is the largest national park in Madagascar with an area of ​​2400 km² on paper and 2096.325 km² in reality. Together with other national parks in Madagascar ( Marojejy , Zahamena , Ranomafana , Andringitra , Andohahela etc.) it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 .

The national park protects the largest contiguous tropical rainforest in Madagascar, coastal forests, mangrove swamps and, in three places, the underwater world in the Indian Ocean . The national park also includes some offshore coral reefs , three small parcels on the east coast and the almost untouched island of Nosy Mangabe in the Baie d'Antongil .

In the rainforest live ten different lemurs - species , including Red Varis , Masoala fork-marked lemur and Aye-Ayes . In addition, numerous birds , chameleons and other reptiles , tenreks , fish , frogs (compare for example: tomato frog ), butterflies and invertebrates . The park is the last refuge of the critically endangered Red Varis . The also endangered Madagascar snake goshawk (Eutriorchis astur) was even considered to be extinct before it was sighted on Masoala in late 1993 . In the plot Andranoanala in Cap-Est is carnivorous plant Nepenthes masoalensis home.

The three Parcs marins (protected areas in the ocean) Tampolo , Ambodilaitry and Ifaho are among the most interesting coral reefs in Madagascar. In addition to the corals and the many fish, whales are also protected here. Hundreds of humpback whales migrate along the coast between July and September. They breed and give birth in Antogil Bay.

At the edge of the national park there is a buffer zone in which the population can use the forest sustainably. Several foreign organizations also support projects that are intended to enable the population to survive without destroying the forest.

Ecotourism is also expected to have positive effects for the local population . Half of the entrance fee that tourists have to pay goes to development projects. There are no overnight accommodations in the national park. Visitors have to camp or stay in small hotels in villages outside the reserve. If you don't want to explore the national park on foot, you have to rely on boats. Guide and porters are available.

For the local population, however, the national park is extremely problematic in many ways, among other things because the park means the loss of land for self-sufficiency.

The Zurich Zoo , which with the Masoala Hall dedicates a large part of its facility to Madagascar, supports the National Park and projects in the surrounding villages with regular contributions.

Web links

Commons : Masoala National Park  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The dark side of the Masoala National Park in Madagascar. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. June 25, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2009 .
  2. ↑ Irène Troxler: Lemurs and flying foxes from a bird's eye view . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . No. 72 , March 27, 2013, p. 19 .
  3. ↑ Projects already implemented by the Zurich Zoo in Masoala. (No longer available online.) In: Zoo Zurich. March 2011, archived from the original on June 22, 2013 ; accessed on March 28, 2013 .