A common site in the Beza Mahafaly forest.

Southern Parks: Beza Mahafaly

The Beza Mahafaly Reserve is located at 35 km northeast of Betioky Sud and 100 km inland from Toliara in the Southwest of Madagascar. It is the first protected area run and managed by ESSA-Forêts in Madagascar and also serves as an educational center and training site. The Forestry Department (ESSA) hosts annual 5th grade field trips here that educate the students on the sustainable management of natural resources. Beza project is currently supported by Tany Meva Foundation in collaboration with ANGAP.

The Reserve is divided into two non-contiguous sections, 8 km apart. The first, about 1 km² in size, is a fenced gallery forest, just west of the Sakamena river. During the dry season, the riverbed is completely dry. With heavy rains (commonly between January and March) the river can flood inundating the surrounding flood plain. Large tamarind trees (Tamarindus indica) and other endemic legume trees (e.g. Albizzia polyphylla, Acacia rovumae), dominate the gallery forest. The second section is about 520 ha in size. It is dominated by many endemic species characteristic of the arid spiny forest community, which are well adapted to the long dry season. These include Alluaudia procera (Didieraceae), Commiphora spp. (Burseraceae), Dolichos spp. (Papilionaceae), etc.

The Reserve contains 5 resident species of lemurs, two diurnal ( Propithecus verreauxi and Lemur catta), and three nocturnal ( Lepilemur leucopus, Microcebus murinus and Microcebus griseorufus). Long term research projects to understand the dynamics of the two diurnal lemur species have been undertaken at Beza since 1980. In addition, the forest shelters 4 species of tenrecs including the rare, large eared Echinops telfairi; 3 species of carnivores; 17 species of saurians (geckonids, iguanids, gerrausaurids and chameleons); 12 species of snakes; 2 species of tortoises including the radiated tortoise (Geochelone radiata); and, seasonally, the crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). Over one hundred species of birds, including several species belonging to the endemic family of Vangidae, are present at Beza.