The four Comoros Islands that lie in the Mozambique Channel

Mozambique Channel

The Mozambique Channel is a portion of the Indian Ocean located between the island nation of Madagascar and southeast Africa, primarily the country of Mozambique. It was a World War II clashpoint during the Battle of Madagascar...

 between Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

 and East Africa are a unique ecoregion

Ecoregion

An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...

, the Comoros forests.

These volcanic islands are rich in wildlife with endemic species including four endangered bird species living on Mount Karthala

Mount Karthala

Karthala is an active volcano and the highest point of the Comoros at above sea level. It is the southernmost and larger of the two shield volcanoes forming Grande Comore island, the largest island in the nation of Comoros. The Karthala volcano is notoriously active, having erupted more than 20...

, the large active volcano on Grand Comoro Island. The islands have a wet tropical climate with a rainy season between October and April.
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Flora

Both the flora and the fauna are similar to Madagascar, although there are more than 500 species of plants endemic to the Comoros. The two larger islands Grand Comoro and Anjouan

Anjouan

Anjouan is an autonomous island, part of the Union of Comoros. The island is located in the Indian Ocean. Its capital is Mutsamudu and its population as of 2006 is about 277,500. The total area of the island is 424 sq. kilometers Anjouan (also known as Ndzuwani or Nzwani) is an autonomous island,...

 have higher peaks and a variety of lowland and mountain forest, with mangroves along the coasts.

Fauna

There are more birds, animals, and reptiles than you would expect in an Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

 island, including lemurs, as in nearby Madagascar. Endemic species include 21 species of birds, 9 species of reptiles, and two species of fruit bats (Pteropus livingstonii and Rousettus obliviosus). Other mammals include the mongoose lemur

Mongoose Lemur

The mongoose lemur is a lemur ranging from 12 to 18 inches long plus a tail of 16 to 25 inches. The mongoose lemur lives in dry deciduous forests on the island of Madagascar as well as in the humid forests on the islands of the Comoros...

 (Eulemur mongoz) and a sub-species of the Seychelles fruit bat

Seychelles fruit bat

The Seychelles fruit bat or Seychelles flying fox, Pteropus seychellensis, is a megabat found on the granitic islands of Seychelles, and on the Comoros and Mafia Island. It is a significant component of the ecosystems for the islands, dispersing the seeds of many tree species. Although it is hunted...

 (Pteropus seychellensis comorensis).

Threats and conservation

The population of the Comoros is currently over 700,000 and as it increases more and more forest is being cleared for farming, with volcanic eruptions and cyclones damaging the forest further, and threatening the fruit bat populations in particular.

The largest unspoilt forest remaining is located on the higher mountain slopes including Mount Karthala

Mount Karthala

Karthala is an active volcano and the highest point of the Comoros at above sea level. It is the southernmost and larger of the two shield volcanoes forming Grande Comore island, the largest island in the nation of Comoros. The Karthala volcano is notoriously active, having erupted more than 20...

, which is unprotected as is the forest on Ntingui on Anjouan. Protected areas include Mount Combani and the Saziley National Park on Mayotte

Mayotte

Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...

, while the only protected area in Comoros proper is the marine park on Moheli

Mohéli

Mohéli, also known as Mwali, is one of the three islands which make up the nation of Comoros. Mohéli is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is by far the smallest of the Comoros islands. Its population, as of 2006, is about 38,000. Its capital city is Fomboni...

.

Visiting the ecoregion

Grand Comoro, dominated by Mount Karthala, which can be climbed in one or two days, is the largest and most developed island and location of the international airport. Anjouan is reached by boat from Grand Comoro, the two features here are Mount Ntingui and Lake Dzialandzé, both Ramsar

Ramsar

Ramsar is a city in and the capital of Ramsar County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 31,659, in 9,421 families....

 List sites. Saziley Point is visited from the village of Dapani

Dapani

Dapani is a village in the commune of Bandrele on Mayotte. It is located in the Saziley National Park area on the south-east of the island. The area is a notable bird habitat and is known for its "botanical trail" through the mangroves....

on Mayotte, there is a birding trail through the forest. Moheli is the smallest and quietest island and the marine park, home to sea turtles, dolphins and whales, is located on five offshore islets.

External links

• Comoros forests (World Wildlife Fund)
• Annotated Ramsar List entry for Comoros
• http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/Comores/ibas.html