Sahamalaza National Park, Protected coastal area in northwestern Madagascar.
Sahamalaza National Park covers 26,035 hectares in northwestern Madagascar, in the Sofia region near Ambanja (Ambanja District, Diana Region) and Analalava. Madagascar National Parks manages it, with part of the funding from the Madagascar Protected Areas and Biodiversity Fund (FAPBM). Its forests shelter the blue-eyed black lemur, the Northern giant mouse lemur, the Sahamalaza sportive lemur and the frog Boophis ankarafensis.
The park was established in 2007 and later recognized as a Ramsar Wetland site. This recognition in 2017 highlighted the area's international importance for wetland and wildlife protection.
The park lies in the territory of communities near Ambanja and Analalava, and its name is shared with the Sahamalaza sportive lemur, a species named after this area. Madagascar National Parks manages the site with part of the funding from the Madagascar Protected Areas and Biodiversity Fund (FAPBM).
To explore the park, you need a permit and must hire a local guide, which should be arranged with park administration beforehand. The best time to visit is during the drier months when trails are easier to navigate.
The park's lemurs include the blue-eyed black lemur, the Northern giant mouse lemur and the Sahamalaza sportive lemur, alongside the frog Boophis ankarafensis. The blue-eyed black lemur is among the few primates whose males and females differ in colour, and the photograph shows one gripping a pale, cracked trunk.
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