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Baly Bay

Majunga, Madagascar

The Baly Bay (Baie de Baly) National Park is located 150 km southwest of Mahajanga on the northwestern coast of Madagascar and comprises a total surface of 58 km². It was created in 1997 and identified as an Important Bird Area in 1999.
The Park is very rich in terms of biodiversity since it includes both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, such as dense dry forests, mangroves, rivers and lakes, white-sand beaches, dunes and impressive coral reefs. The semi-intensive shrimp aquaculture adjoining the protected area has a special economic value in the region. Several Sakavala communities live in small fisher villages along the coast.

 

BALY BAY

The main attraction of the park is the extremely rare and endangered ploughshare tortoise (locally known as angonoka), which is endemic to the park. Nowadays there are just 2000 individuals living in the wild.
Furthermore there are 13 mammal species, among them 8 of lemur, such as the Decken’s sifaka and the western bamboo lemurs, which share their habitat with 120 bird species and more than 35 reptiles, such as chameleons and terrestrial tortoises.
Green, hawksbill, Madagascar big-headed and loggerhead turtles lay their eggs on the beaches, whilst dolphins and dugongs swim in the swallow bay waters. More than 50 water bird species have been observed in the park, being five of them extremely endangered. The rare fish eagle, several heron species, sacred ibises, plovers and pink and greater flamingos are common sights in the park.

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