Forest Vertebrate Fauna and Local Knowledges Among the Tandroy People in Berenty Researve, Southern Madagascar: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

We studied the forest vertebrate fauna of Berenty Reserve and the local Tandroy people's knowledge of these species. Berenty Reserve is a small reserve (about 250 ha) that contains gallery forest, scrub forest, and spiny forest. In spite of the reserve's small size, it has the largest remaining gallery forest in the region. Based on a review of previous reports and our observations, we created a list of forest vertebrate species recorded in the reserve: 27 mammals, 106 birds, 46 reptiles, and 6 amphibians. This result suggests that the forests of Berenty Reserve have relatively high vertebrate diversity for their size. On the other hand, we confirmed the absence of some vertebrate species (e.g., fossa), suggesting that the forest is too small to hold large carnivores. Three species of tenrecs and at least 46 species of birds were recognized as bushmeat for the local Tandroy people, although these species were only hunted opportunistically by young men. However, most mammals, 11 species of birds, and all reptiles and amphibians were not regarded as food. Moreover, small mammals, skinks, geckos, and frogs seemed to be less recognized by the local people. These taxa are also poorly studied by scientists. Thus, small animals (small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians) and their potential extinction risk may be going unnoticed in this small forest.