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The Nosy Hara archipelago is a group of 12 uninhabited islands off the Northern coast of Madagascar. All are of unique Malagsy 'tsingy' ecotype, made up of cliffs and crags of weathered limestone. All our surrounded by pristine coral reefs. Four of the islands, Nosy Hara, Nosy Lakandava, Nosy Anjombovola, and Nosy Andranzara, have forest as well, growing up and upon the cliffs and crags, and inhabited by endemic birds, frogs and lizards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the largest island, Nosy Hara, during the day the unusual bright green diurnal Malagasy gecko Phelsuma, is abundant on large tree trunks. At night, a species of the fishscale gecko, Geckolepis can be found at the base of trees. If frightened or handled, it can lose not only its tail, but also all its scales. A large and potentially new species of the Homopholis genus was found during both day and night, on large trees, or in cracks between the rocks. We nicknamed it the dinosaur, from its size and its viciousness. Most exciting of all, along the base of a dry streambed on Nosy Hara, we discovered a beautiful bright blue lizard with a red throat. This species is being described by Achille Raselimanana, from WWF Madagascar.

Birds in the area include such representatives as the Malagasy paradise fly-catcher, large Green Pigeons, small Button Quails and many more within the forests. Along the coast and the cliffs, the rare endemic fishing eagle, Halieutees vociferoides can occasionally be seen, as well as such species as the dimorphic egret and the Gray Heron. In December, tens of thousands of graceful Sooty Terns flock to nest on the islands of Nosy Vaha and Nosy Fotsy. Local people can collect as many as 8000 eggs in a day, which they take to sell in nearest town of Diego. On Nosy Fotsy, possibly as a result, this year the birds failed to appear.

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Two lemur species are found on Nosy Hara, but it is unclear whether these were introduced at a later date, or are endemic to the island. Finally, on Nosy Hara, a species of the brightly colored Malagasy poison-arrow frog genus, Mantella was discovered on our very last day on the island.

Finally, although the terrestrial biology of the islands is without a doubt exceptional, there is little question that the marine biology is even better. The WWF Marine Programme Advisor described the coral reefs as representing some of the highest biodiversity he had ever seen. We regularly saw Hawksbill turtles browsing amidst the coral, and between the islands, often came across dolphins. The fishermen speak of regularly siting whales, and there are even rumors of dugongs off Nosy Hara. Although we were unable to obtain any hard data on the marine ecosystem, we can say without a doubt that further research is urgently needed. High levels of exploitation of marine resources investigated through the Community Survey suggest also that the importance of the implementation of conservation measures is pressing.

Although we had not the expertise to explore it, the flora seemed as exceptional as the fauna, with baobabs, and pachypodiums, bizarre succulents clinging to the rock faces, and large pungent flowers. At the start of the rainy season in December, bright patches of colour burst out of the green canopy, splashing it with red and purple. In recent years, however, given the high value of sea-cucumbers (sold for the Asian aphrodisiac market) escalating degrees of deforestation is being carried out on almost all beaches in spite of the fady. Wood fires are used in the preparation of sea cucumbers, which is done on the islands between convenient tides. Although deforestation is insignificant as yet, it is only a matter of time before this becomes a real issue. The sooty terns also are gravely threatened by current egg-harvesting activities.