18 Review of Madagascar’s wildfowl
©Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
Wildfowl
(2013) 63: 5–23
built facility in the town of Antsohihy, Sofia.
By 2013, 38 ducklings had been hatched in
captivity, and potential sites in Sofia for the
future release of captive-bred birds were
being sought, with restoration necessary at
these sites being proposed.
The future
For many years amongst the least known
birds in the world, Madagascar’s endemic
wildfowl are now surprisingly well
understood and the chances of their
survival into the future are brighter than
they have been for some time. In the case of
the two
Anas
species, these are probably
more studied than several mainland
wildfowl species. For the first time too they
have legal protection and some secure
habitat. It is especially encouraging that
there are a great many Malagasy scientists
now involved in wildfowl study, including
census and distributional surveys but also
ecological studies. Since 1993 there have
been seven university theses completed on
Madagascar’s ducks – five by Malagasy
students. Five of these degrees were
attained through Durrell, which has
dedicated wildfowl personnel, but it is of
further encouragement that most NGOs
with offices and staff in Madagascar, notably
The Peregrine Fund, WWF, BirdLife
International, Wildlife Conservation Society
and Conservation International, as well as
Asity Madagascar (the local BirdLife
partner), have actively been involved in
wildfowl studies and protection.
We should not be complacent, as
although protection of the short distance
migrant
A. bernieri
and probably sedentary
A. innotata
may be feasible with adequate site
protection, they remain vulnerable to major
unforeseen habitat loss at key sites. The
confiding but nomadic
T. leuconotus insularis
and the shy and low density, territorial,
A.
melleri
may take a lot more effort to save
from extinction, however, because they are
thinly dispersed, are highly vulnerable to
human activity, and there are no adequate
safe sites identified where these birds can be
protected.
Acknowledgements
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust began
working with the wildfowl of Madagascar in
1989 and since this date many people both
Figure 3.
Map of wetlands within Madagascar
where endemic duck species are known to occur.
Numbers on the map refer to the sites listed in
Table 3.
