Madagascar dry deciduous forests

Madagascar dry deciduous forests
A portion of Anjajavy Forest, inset by a swath of mangrove forest
Ecology
Realm	Afrotropic
Biome	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
Borders	Madagascar subhumid forests, Madagascar succulent woodlands, Madagascar mangroves
Animals	Madagascar sideneck turtle, ploughshare tortoise, rhinoceros chameleon, Uroplatus guentheri
Bird species	Bernier's teal, Madagascan fish eagle, Sakalava rail
Mammal species	Golden-crowned sifaka, mongoose lemur, golden-brown mouse lemur
Geography
Area	152,100 km2 (58,700 sq mi)
Country	Madagascar
Elevation	0–600 metres (0–1,969 ft)
Coordinates	17°36′S 45°12′E / 17.600°S 45.200°E / -17.600; 45.200Coordinates: 17°36′S 45°12′E / 17.600°S 45.200°E / -17.600; 45.200
Geology	varied
Climate type	Tropical savanna climate (Aw)
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/Endangered
Global 200	included

The Madagascar dry deciduous forests represent a tropical dry forest ecoregion situated in the western and northern part of Madagascar. The area has high numbers of endemic plant and animal species but has suffered large-scale clearance for agriculture. They are among the world's richest and most distinctive dry forests and included in the Global 200 ecoregions by the World Wide Fund. The area is also home to distinctive limestone karst formations known as tsingy, including the World Heritage Site of Bemaraha.

There are two separate areas within the ecoregion: the western side of Madagascar from the Ampasindava peninsula in the north to Belo-sur-Tsiribihina and Maromandia in the south (this is most of Mahajanga Province); and the northern tip of the island (apart from the high areas of Amber Mountain). Geological substrate is varied and includes the tsingy limestone massifs.

These dry deciduous forests span the coastal plain with its limestone plateaus emanating virtually at sea level to higher altitudes to roughly 600 metres (2,000 ft). The area includes wetlands and grasslands (mostly created by forest clearance for agriculture) as well as dry forests characterized by a deciduous canopy extending to a height of 10 to 15 metres (33 to 49 ft).

Climate is tropical, with summer daytime temperatures commonly exceeding 30 °C (86 °F), and a wet season between October and April. Rainfall, ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 mm, is more abundant than in the spiny thickets and succulent woodlands, but lower than in the eastern lowland rainforests.