Madagascar
Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve is one of the most important wildlife reserves in the world. Located on the island of Madagascar, isolated from all other landmasses for nearly a hundred million years, the reserve boasts species of animals and birds that can’t be found anywhere else on the planet. Tsingy de Bemaraha is particularly well known for its large and diverse population of Lemur species.
The independent ecology of Madagascar began developing 85 million years ago when the island separated from India. The largest non-continent independent land mass throughout this period, the wildlife on the island was allowed to evolve independently. Madagascar remained untainted by men until early tribes arrived two thousand years ago and European settlers three hundred years ago. The area of the park remained largely pristine throughout this era, and was designated as a world heritage site in 1990 due both to its amazing geological formations and its wildlife.
Many of Madagascar’s unique species can be found here, including countless species of birds. There are many small mammals here, but nothing in the category of big game. The star attraction from a wildlife perspective is the giant population of lemurs. Over half a dozen species of lemurs can be found here, wandering around forests of both trees and rocks.
Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve is located on the west-central part of the island of Madagascar, 200 miles west of the capital of Antananarivo. It is open year-round. As of this writing no tourism information was available. Web: www.parcs-madagascar.com (official website)
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