The Conservation Biology
of the Angonoka, Geochelone yniphora,
in Northwestern Madagascar: Progress Report
JAMES O. JUVIK,1 A. ROSS KIESTER,2
DON REID,3 BRUCE COBLENTZ,4 and JEFFREY HOFFMAN 5
1 Geography Department, University of Hawaii-Hilo, Hilo, HI 96720-4091, USA /
e-mail: jjuvik@hawaii.edu
2 U.S. Forest Service, 3200 Southwest Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA /
e-mail: ross@krait.fsl.orst.edu
3 Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, WWF Aires Protegees, B.P. 738, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
4 Dept. of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
5 NASA-Johnson Flight Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
ABSTRACT: The plowshare tortoise or angonoka, Geochelone yniphora, is one of the world's most-threatened reptile species with a surviving wild population estimated at only a few hundred animals. Remaining populations are restricted to fragmented and diminishing dry scrub forest habitat in the vicinity of Baly Bay, Madagascar. In addition to domestic cattle grazing, other alien species introductions (i.e., African bush pig) may also play a significant role in both habitat modification and direct predation on the angonoka. This paper reports on the results of recent (1992–1993) field research emphasizing (1) the establishment of a regional habitat database in a geographic information system (GIS) with the capability of providing high resolution identification and discrimination of actual and potential angonoka habitat, (2) continuing basic biological and ecological research on the best-known wild population (Cape Sada), which has been under active consideration for protected area status, and (3) monitoring of the introduced African bush pig and its impact on angonoka survival in the dry scrub forest ecosystems of northwestern Madagascar.
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Species Recovery and Management