Harmonious Protected Landscape · Ambilobe District · DIANA Region · Protected Areas of Madagascar
Galoko-Kalobinono
Harmonious Protected Landscape
The Protected Areas of Northern Madagascar. The Galoko-Kalobinono Harmonious Protected Landscape — twin forested summits sheltering species found nowhere else on Earth.
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About the protected area
Two forested summits, united into one landscape
The Galoko-Kalobinono Harmonious Protected Landscape was created in 2015, covering 74,205 hectares. The former Classified Forest of the Antsakay-Kalobenono forest massif (61,000 ha, classified in 1960) and part of the Classified Forest of Haute Ramena (38,250 ha, classified in 1963) were merged into this harmonious landscape. It is managed by the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG).
The protected landscape lies in the Ambilobe district, 47 km north of the town, in the DIANA Region. The manager maintains an office at Ambanja and a base camp at Anketrabe-Belinta. There is no tourist infrastructure, and visit arrangements are to be discussed with the manager's facilitators in Ambanja.
A secondary road near the village of Ambatoharanana, heading east, leads to the site entrance near Anketrabe Belinta. A second entrance lies on the RN6 at Beramanga, toward the village of Anaborana Ifasy, 31 km from the junction, leading up to the summit of the Galoko massif — while reaching the Kalibonono massif means passing through the Ifasy valley.
Climate, Fauna and Flora
Dense forest under a subhumid northern climate
The protected area's climate is characterised by the subhumid conditions of the island's northern reaches. The rainy season runs from November to April. The cool season spans June to August, with a minimum temperature of 16.9 °C, while the hottest season occurs from December to February, with peaks reaching as high as 33.4 °C.
The protected area is covered by dense evergreen, semi-deciduous, and dry forest. Its flora includes species endemic to the forests of north-western Madagascar, such as Cynometra lyallii and Pandanus sambiranensis. Fourteen species are recorded only at Galoko-Kalobinono, four of them known thanks to their type specimens: Anacardiaceae – Micronychia benono; Annonaceae – Xylopia kalabenonensis; Araliaceae – Polyscias kalabenonensis and P. wohlhauseri; Arecaceae – Dypsis ligulata; Burseraceae – Canarium galokense, among others.
Culture and Socio-Economic Practices
Galoko and Kalobinono, spirits of the forest
The site rises into several summits, the most prominent of which are Galoko and Kalobinono. Kalobinono — translating as "the full-breasted princess" — owes its name to its symmetrical, pear-like form, evoking a human breast.
Like the wider region, the protected area is home to several forest spirits, among them grandfather Galoko and grandmother Kalobinono.
Slash-and-burn shifting cultivation, free-roaming livestock, illegal logging, and bush fires are the principal pressures faced by the Galoko-Kalobinono Harmonious Protected Landscape.
Identified threats
Location
Northern Madagascar, DIANA Region
The Galoko-Kalobinono Harmonious Protected Landscape is accessible from Ambilobe, 47 km to the north, with one entrance reached via a secondary road near Ambatoharanana leading to Anketrabe-Belinta, and a second via the RN6 at Beramanga toward Anaborana Ifasy.