Comoros forests

The four Comoros Islands that lie in the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and East Africa are a unique ecoregion, the Comoros forests.

These volcanic islands are rich in wildlife with endemic species including four endangered bird species living on Mount Karthala, the large active volcano on Grand Comoro Island. The islands have a wet tropical climate with a rainy season between October and April. 1

Flora

Both the flora and the fauna are similar to Madagascar, although there are more than 500 species of plants endemic to the Comoros. The two larger islands Grand Comoro and Anjouan have higher peaks and a variety of lowland and mountain forest, with mangroves along the coasts.

Fauna

There are more birds, animals, and reptiles than you would expect in an Indian Ocean island, including lemurs, as in nearby Madagascar. Endemic species include 21 species of birds, 9 species of reptiles, and two species of fruit bats (Pteropus livingstonii and Rousettus obliviosus). Other mammals include the mongoose lemur (Eulemur mongoz) and a sub-species of the Seychelles fruit bat (Pteropus seychellensis comorensis).

Threats and conservation

The population of the Comoros is currently over 700,000 and as it increases more and more forest is being cleared for farming, with volcanic eruptions and cyclones damaging the forest further, and threatening the fruit bat populations in particular.

The largest unspoilt forest remaining is located on the higher mountain slopes including Mount Karthala, which is unprotected as is the forest on Ntingui on Anjouan. Protected areas include Mount Combani and the Saziley National Park on Mayotte, while the only protected area in Comoros proper is the marine park on Moheli.

Visiting the ecoregion

Grand Comoro, dominated by Mount Karthala, which can be climbed in one or two days, is the largest and most developed island and location of the international airport. Anjouan is reached by boat from Grand Comoro, the two features here are Mount Ntingui and Lake Dzialandzé, both Ramsar List sites. Saziley Point is visited from the village of Dapani on Mayotte, there is a birding trail through the forest. Moheli is the smallest and quietest island and the marine park, home to sea turtles, dolphins and whales, is located on five offshore islets.

External links

• Comoros forests (World Wildlife Fund)
• Annotated Ramsar List entry for Comoros
• http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/Comores/ibas.html

This ecoregion article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Afrotropic Geography of Comoros Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Ecoregion stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? Comoros at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics Comoros women's national football team Look at other dictionaries: Comoros — This article is about the country. For the archipelago, see Comoro Islands. Union of the Comoros Union des Comores (French) Udzima wa Komori (Comorian) الاتحاد القمري …   Wikipedia Comoros Olive Pigeon — Conservation status Near Threatened ( …   Wikipedia Comoros — /kom euh rohz /, n. Federal and Islamic Republic of the, a republic comprising three of the Comoro Islands (Grand Comoro, Mohéli, and Anjouan): a former overseas territory of France; declared independence 1975. 589,797; 719 sq. mi. (1862 sq. km) …   Universalium Comoros Blue Pigeon — Comoro Blue pigeon Conservation status Least Concern ( …   Wikipedia Geography of Comoros — The Comoros archipelago consists of four main islands aligned along a northwest southeast axis at the north end of the Mozambique Channel, between Mozambique and the island of Madagascar. Still widely known by their French names, the islands… …   Wikipedia List of birds of the Comoros — This is a list of the bird species recorded in the Comoros. The avifauna of the Comoros includes a total of 146 species, of which 14 are endemic, 6 have been introduced by humans, and 23 are rare or accidental. 9 species are globally… …   Wikipedia Wildlife of Comoros — The Wildlife of the Comoros islands includes its flora and fauna and their natural habitats.Fauna*Red River HogMammalsBirdsGrebesOrder: PodicipediformesFamily: PodicipedidaeGrebes are small to medium large sized freshwater diving birds. They have …   Wikipedia Madagascar dry deciduous forests — The Madagascar dry deciduous forests represent a tropical dry forest ecoregion generally situated in the western part of Madagascar. The WWF has designated these forests as a Global 200 ecoregion, one of the world’s most crucial regions for… …   Wikipedia List of ecoregions (WWF) — This is a list of ecoregions as compiled by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The WWF identifies terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecoregions.The terrestrial scheme divides the Earth s land surface into 8 terrestrial ecozones, containing 867… …   Wikipedia Ecoregions of Madagascar — Madagascar island, located in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa, is the fourth largest island in the world. Its long isolation from neighbouring continents allowed the evolution of distinct communities of plants and animals. It is… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”