A rugged rainforest reserve in northeastern Madagascar, linking Masoala, Mananara, and Zahamena into a continuous corridor of biodiversity.
Ambatovaky Special Reserve
Ambatovaky Special Reserve is a protected natural area in northeastern Madagascar, set within the humid lowland and hill forests that characterize the country's eastern escarpment. It lies in the Analanjirofo region, with its access point at Soanierana Ivongo near the coast, and forms part of a larger mosaic of rainforest reserves that includes Masoala National Park, Mananara National Park, and the Strict Nature Reserve of Zahamena.
The reserve protects a famously rugged terrain of cliffs, broken hills, and densely forested valleys, drained by the Marimbona River in the south and the Simianona River in the north. This challenging topography has helped preserve an exceptionally rich community of forest wildlife, including a remarkable concentration of lemur species and one of the rarest raptors in the world, the Madagascar serpent eagle.
Established in 1958 and classed as a special reserve under Madagascar's protected-area system, Ambatovaky represents one of the older formal conservation units in the country. Its ecological value is closely tied to its role as a connective forested landscape between several larger protected areas along Madagascar's northeast coast, making it an important refuge for endemic species that depend on extensive blocks of intact rainforest.
