The yellow sandstone massif of Makay is made up of high plateaus, partly covered by forest and shrubs vegetation, carved by deep canyons hiding humid tropical forests deep inside its walls, creating unique, small isolated ecosystems with endemic and micro-endemic plants and animal species hidden from the rest of the world, where they had many years of isolation to differentiate themselves, to the point of giving birth to new species.
The Makay is a sanctuary for some of the most peculiar species on the island and its relief and isolated position helped it preserve its treasures. Though sadly the recent progression of bush fires now threatens the survival of the massif, destroying a natural heritage in minutes that took nature millions of years to build up.
The Makay massif is a mountain range in Madagascar located north of the Isalo massif, in the west of the country, in the districts of Beroroha and Mahabo. The Makay Mountain Range stretches over 150 km from north to south with a maximum width of 40 km, totalling 4,000 km2. The Jurassic sandstone forms a ruiniform relief, of erosive origin. It enjoys the abundant water network and is home to a remarkable biodiversity, including multiple endemic species and several types of lemurs. Despite the disturbances caused by human activities, a large presence gallery forest still exists inside the canyons of the massif. Since 2007, several scientific expeditions have taken place in Makay and a new protected area was created in 2017 and a few projects have started since then such as the construction of schools and reforestation.
The Makay not only refers to the Makay massif, but also to the Makay River, which is surrounded by plains, located between 250 and 360 m above sea level. The highest point of the Makay Massif is the Dafimavo at 1.034 m, and in the north we find the Vohibe with an altitude of 977 m.
Thanks to the geological nature of the massif, we have a real natural water tower as most of the rivers descend, flow to the east and then southward into the Mangoky. From the north the Manampada and Sakapala rivers join the Sakena, followed by the the Tsiribihina and finally to the north of the Mozambique Channel. The Morondava River also originates in the Makay before it continues north.
Geology Of The Makay
The Makay massif is a maze of Jurassic sandstone, thanks to its type of relief called ruiniform: which refers to spectacular rock-cut formations which are made of rock blocks, separated by narrow corridors. The thick layers of white sandstone, in the east of the Makay massif, are weakly cemented, but reinforced by a compact network of siliceous joints, with veins of green, gray and red clay. In the west of the mountain range, we find red sandstone which forms a cuesta (a ridge with a gentle slope and a steep slope) at its limit with the previous one. The Makay is similar to that of the middle part of Isalo. In the east the Makay Massif consists of low hills and it becomes more eroded the closer we get to the river, where we can also see fossilized trees. Erosion has dug deep galleries and spectacular amphitheaters throughout the big mass of rock.
Biodiversity
The Makay massif is home to remarkable biodiversity, with a wide range of endemic or micro-endemic species. More than a hundred species have been identified over the past decade. In total ten species of lemurs have been discovered, including Verreaux’s sifaka, ten bat species, eleven fish species, seven amphibians, 28 reptiles and over 2,000 insects and myriapods, and more than 60 birds all have been successfully identified with the region. When it comes to plants there have been 38 species of Pteridophytes identified as well as 50 kinds of Bryophytes. There have been seven species of Xerophytes discovered of which two are strictly endemic to Makay. A species of pepper plant that had not been seen since 1924 has also been identified.
An important new discovery is that of the scorpion Grosphus makay (2015), the Giffardia bifurcata leafhoppper (2019). Expeditions also found the presence of the fossa, the largest carnivorous mammal in Madagascar, in the Makay massif. Another spectacular find is the discovery of the “leaf-nosed” snake Langaha madagascariensis who can grow up to one meter and is often found hanging from a branch, mostly preying on lizards. Due to its color it almost looks like a vine swinging in the wind. Also the tortoise Erymnochelys madagascariensis has been identified: the Malagasy big-headed turtle, critically endangered and being evaluated to be the most endangered turtle in the world. They are commonly eaten and even shipped from Madagascar to Asia for the traditional medicine market. Among the birds, the crested ibis and the Madagascan Pratincole are the most threatened species present. Among plants we have the Catharanthus makayensis, a new periwinkle, different from other species of its genus by its purple heart.
An expedition in 2010 located three bat breeding colonies: one near the Ampalavanash wadi: Mormopterus jugularis, Otomops madagascariensis in a cave near Lake Anosilahy and Pteropus rufus in the forest near Lake Anosilahy.
There are still large remains of forest in the Makay Massif, which are recently being threatened by human activities, especially bush fires and cattle grazing. In the canyon of the Zobiandro and the Makarikitro forest of Manarikitro, near the Makay opposite the Vohimalaza we find the following forests:- Manarikitro: typical dry forest with mostly Commiphora and Tamarindus indicus, most likely endemic.
– Zobiandro canyon: mostly home to Pandanus, found in humid forests, in addition to the common vegetation.
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