Beza Mahafaly Reserve

Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Location of Beza Mahafaly Reserve
Location	Southwest Madagascar
Nearest city	Toliara
Coordinates
Area	1,433 acres (5.80 km2)
Established	1978
Governing body	Parcs Nationaux Madagascar -ANGAP

The Beza Mahafaly Reserve is a nature reserve in Madagascar 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of Betioky Sud. The reserve also provides training and research opportunities. It consists of a fenced gallery forest, approximately 100 hectares (250 acres), separated by 8 kilometres (5 mi) from a 520-hectare (1,300-acre) gallery of arid spiny forest. The reserve has a museum that is open to tourists.

Tree species featured in the two galleries include tamarind trees and Madagascar ocotillo, among many others. Animals residing in the galleries include four species of lemurs, four species of tenrecs, 17 species of saurians, 12 species of snakes, two species of tortoises and, in season, the Nile crocodile. There are over 100 species of birds.

History

The Reserve was founded in 1975, when community leaders formed a partnership with the University of Madagascar (now Antananarivo), Washington University, and Yale University aiming to protect the forest.

It has been a center for research and education since 1978, and the Bezà Mahafaly Monitoring Team of local researchers began work in 1995.

Research

International researchers, supported by the Monitoring Team, maintain long-term studies of the reserve's wildlife. For example, Verreaux's sifaka and the ring-tailed lemur have been the subjects of collaborative research by Malagasy and US researchers for over 25 years. During this period, hundreds of specimens have been observed in the field, with individual tagging, anatomical measurement, and genetic and hormone sampling helping researchers to understand their behavior, physiology, mating strategies, and demography.

In addition to collecting systematic data on climatic conditions, the Monitoring Team seeks to gather information about the human community living near the reserve: who they are, how they live, and what are their attitudes toward the reserve.

Education and training

Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi).

Beza Mahafaly hosts an annual field school run by ESSA-Forêts, where 15-20 fifth-year students gain practical experience of conservation techniques in a 10-day course. The students undertake a combination of seminars, fieldwork, and independent projects. Field-based courses are offered to student groups from international institutions.

Other group workshops, outreach events, and training courses targeted at local school children, adults living in nearby, university students, teachers, and government officials take place each year.

List of lemur species found in Beza-Mahafaly Reserve

Viewing time	Species
Daytime	Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi)
Nighttime	White-footed sportive lemur (Lepilemur leucopus) Reddish-gray mouse lemur (Microcebus griseorufus)

Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta).

External links

• Beza Mahafaly website
• University of Colorado Beza Mahafaly Lemur Biology Project
• Beza Mahafaly Program, Forestry Department at the School of Agronomy, University of Antananarivo