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''Masoala'' can be translated with to ''the eye of the forest'' - ''maso'' means forest meaning eye and ''ala'' eye meaning forest in the Malagasy language. According to history, the first inhabitants of Madagascar settled in the Masoala region. During the 15th and 16th century, slave traders stopped at [[Nosy Mangabe]] on their sails to Asia or Europe. Today, the [[Betsimisaraka]] remain the dominant ethnic group of the [[Antalaha]] and [[Maroantsetra]] region. The people of Maroantsetra call themselves ''Antimaroa''.
The Masoala National Park was created on the 2nd March 1997 and the Nosy Mangabe Special Reserve on the 14th December 1965. Masoala National Park is one of six national parks on the east coast of Madagascar, all of which were declared a ''World Heritage in Danger'' by UNESCO under the combined name [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1257 Rainforests of the Atsinanana] in 2010.
In terms of biodiversity, Masoala is one of the richest regions of Madagascar. 50% of Madagascar's plant species and more than 50% of Madagascar's mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles can be found here.
The Masoala protected area is a very important water reserve for the region, as it supplies water for the rice fields and is a source for of drinking water. The development of ecotourism benefits the local population, as it generates generating jobs such as guides, porters, craftsman craftsmen and merchants.<br><br>
== Conservation targets ==
Despite its strategic role, Masoala is threatened by human activities:
* Dense humid forest 0m - 800m: land Land clearing, illegal logging of precious timber* Eastern coastal forest: highly Highly threatened due to its proximity to villages* Reef: erosion Erosion and silting threaten the coast, seagrass beds and mangroves<br><br>
Protected species are highly threatened by poaching within and outside the protected area:
