Montagne d'Ambre National Park
{{Short description|National park in Antsiranana Province, Madagascar}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Montagne d'Ambre National Park
| iucn_category = II
| map = Madagascar
| relief = 1
| map_width = 200
| map_caption = Location of Amber Mountain National Park
| location = Diana Region, Madagascar
| nearest_city = Antsiranana
| coordinates = {{Coord|12.595|S|49.155|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| area_km2 = 182
| established = 28 October 1958
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body = Madagascar National Parks (PNM-ANGAP)
| website = https://www.parcs-madagascar.com/parcs/montagne%20d%20ambre.php
}}
Montagne d'Ambre National Park is a national park in the Diana Region of northern Madagascar. The park is known for its endemic flora and fauna, water falls and crater lakes. It is {{cvt|1000|km}} north of the capital, Antananarivo, and is one of the most biologically diverse places in all of Madagascar with seventy-five species of birds, twenty-five species of mammals, and fifty-nine species of reptiles known to inhabit the park.{{cite web |title=Amber Mountain National Park |url=http://www.travelmadagascar.org/PARKS/Amber-Mountain-National-Park.html |website=Madagascar Travel Guide |access-date=29 October 2016}}
Geography
The park covers an area of {{cvt|18200|ha}} on an isolated volcanic massif, of mostly basaltic rock, above the surrounding dry region. Attractions include spectacular waterfalls and several crater lakes. There are numerous rivers and streams and the park is a water catchment area for the town of Antsiranana, which is surrounded by dry, sparse forests and semi-desert with succulent plants. Annual rainfall in the park is {{cvt|3585|mm}} compared with {{cvt|1000|mm}} around the town.{{cite book |last1=Preston-Mafham |first1=Ken |title=Madagascar: A Natural History |date=1991 |publisher=Facts on File Limited |location=Oxford |isbn=0-8160-2403-0 |pages=191–2}} The area is named after the deposits of copal, a soft form of amber.{{cite web |url=http://www.towercrystals.com/amber/madagascar/copal/index.html |title=Madagascar Copal |access-date=2020-04-04}}
Amber is one of the most accessible parks in northern Madagascar. Bush taxis travel to Joffreville daily from Antsiranana, taking about 45 minutes. On the trip up the mountain to the entrance of the park there are a few small villages and there is a lodge for guests at Joffreville. Living in and around the park are the Sakavala and Antankarana peoples.
Flora and fauna
Most of the park is covered montane rainforest with trees up to {{cvt|40|m}} tall and covered in lianas, orchids and ferns such as bird's-nest fern (Asplenium nidus). The forest is isolated from other rainforests by the surrounding dry forests. There are plantations of Eucalyptus and exotic conifers, pines, Araucaria and an invasive alien bush, Lantana camara. Over one thousand species of plants are recorded.
Of the twenty-five species of mammals in the park, endemics include eight species of lemur, the ring-tailed mongoose (Galidia elegans) and the Malagasy civet (Fossa fossana). Thirty-five of the seventy-five species of birds are endemic including the Amber Mountain rock thrush (Monticola sharpei erythronotus) which is only known from one area on the Amber Mountain massif.{{cite web |title=Monticola erythronotus |url=http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22730713/0 |website=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |access-date=29 October 2016}} The park is also known for its amphibians and reptiles such as the Amber Mountain leaf chameleon (Brookesia tuberculata), which is one of the smallest reptiles in the world. There are thirty-five species of frog.
Amber mountain rock thrush (Monticola sharpei erythronotus) male 2.jpg|Amber mountain rock thrush, male
Amber mountain rock thrush (Monticola sharpei erythronotus) female.jpg|Amber mountain rock thrush, female
Montagne d'Ambre leaf chameleon (Brookesia tuberculata) male 2.jpg|Montagne d'Ambre leaf chameleon, male
Montagne d'Ambre leaf chameleon (Brookesia tuberculata) female 2.jpg|Montagne d'Ambre leaf chameleon, female
Amber Mountain chameleon (Calumma amber) male Montagne d’Ambre 2.jpg|Amber Mountain chameleon, male
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Sources
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20170202090408/http://www.parcs-madagascar.com/aire-prot%C3%A9g%C3%A9e/parc-national-montagne-dambre Official website (in French)]
- [http://www.wildmadagascar.org/conservation/parks/Montagne_d'Ambre.html Wild Madagascar- Amber Mountain]
{{Commons category|Montagne d'Ambre National Park}}
{{National parks of Madagascar}}
{{authority control}}
Category:1958 establishments in Madagascar
Category:Protected areas established in 1958