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The Mananara Nord National Park consists of a land and marine park that are both rich in biodiversity as well as natural and original beauty.
The marine park is the first created in Madagascar. The site is commonly called Nosy Antafana. It is a set of three islets located 2.5km off [[Sahasoa]]. The largest is Nosy Be or [[Nosy Antafana]], where a fresh water source is located. The second is [[Nosy Rangontsy]], named after the man whose remains were the first to be deposited there. On this islet are a mangrove swamp, an expanse of brackish water with fish and in the east huge masses of granite. The last island and the smallest is [[Nosy Hely]]. It is a real marine ecosystem with various representative ecological niches. Coral reefs are among the most beautiful and rich in biodiversity of the east coast of Madagascar. The land park represents the eastern eco-region with littoral forests and forest islands.
== Objectives of the site ==
The Mananara Nord National Park was established on 25th July 1989 by Presidential Decree No. 89/216. It is the first as a Biosphere Reserve in Madagascar. The objective of the site is the conservation of biodiversity in the national park (both marine and terrestrial), it must maintain the quality and quantity of biodiversity in the protected area.
The national park is also a water reservoir for the region with thirty sources, the most important are: Ambatomilogno, Fotsialanana, Hoalampano, Ivontaka, Mahavo, Manambato Manandriana, Mandemoko, Menatany, Sahantsidy, Saharamy, Sahasatrana, Sahasoa, Sahofiky, Tsihoronina, Vahibe, Vongohely, ...
The Mananara Nord Biosphere Reserve is home to a rich flora and fauna. These species require specific conservation actions as they are subject to pressures. They are key elements in the protected area and are referred to as conservation targets.
== Conservation targets ==
The conservation targets of Mananara Nord National Park are:
'''* Dense humid forest of low altitude:''' It comprises almost all of the Mananara Nord Biosphere Reserve. Compared to the very small variation of altitude, the richness in micro-mammal is exceptional.
'''* Forest island Nosy Antafana:''' For years the island is exposed to an ongoing attack by a colony of ''Rattus rattus'' (Black rat) invading it.
'''* Coral reefs:''' The Mananara reefs are among the most beautiful with a great wealth of biodiversity.
== How to get there ==
There are over 186 villages and hamlets. A large part of the population is farmers. The dominant agricultural activity is rice cultivation (slash/burn and irrigated) and cash crops. Mananara is the largest producer of cloves in Madagascar, of vanilla in the Toamasina province and is also one of the largest coffee producers. As for fishing, despite strong potential, fishery resources are still underutilised in Mananara.
The majority of the population consists of the [[Betsimisaraka]] ethnic group with a strong presence of [[Tsimihety]] and Métis Chinese (mixed-race), Betsileo and Merina. Most of the people live in the fertile valleys of Mananara, Sandrakatsy, Saharamy and Manambato.
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