Conservation issues and priorities in the Mikea Forest of south-west Madagascar

The dry forests constitute one of the most distinct, yet least protected, e cosystems in Madagascar, an island renowned for high levels of endemism. Th ey generally have been considered one of the most intact of Madagascar's cl imax vegetation types and accordingly have received little conservation eff ort. In particular, the Mikea Forest, a unique area between the Mangoky and Fiherenana rivers, currently receives negligible formal protection. It con tains remarkably diverse plant and reptile assemblages, including several t axa that are found nowhere else, plus the only populations of two threatene d bird species: the subdesert mesite Monias benschi and long-tailed ground- roller Uratelornis chimaera. From satellite imagery we estimate that primar y forest cover declined by 15.6 per cent from 1962 to 1999, and that the ra te of deforestation has increased from 0.35 per cent per annum in 1962-94 t o 0.93 per cent per annum over the past 5 years. The most important factors underlying this process are slash-and-burn maize cultivation in the northe rn Mikea Forest and charcoal production at its southern fringe. Given these alarming circumstances, we suggest that combinations of conservation measu res are required to safeguard the biological diversity of the area. Specifi cally, we recommend the establishment of a large protected area to the nort h of Manombo, a coordinated network of community-based conservation areas t hroughout the Mikea Forest, development projects to improve agriculture, an d a regional research and education centre.