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The West Madagascar Marine ecoregion supports large barrier reefs with an unusual percentage of endemic species. The marine habitats around western Madagascar and neighboring islands are diverse and include mangrove forests, mudflat ecosystems, and extensive barrier reefs. This relatively undisturbed ecoregion is an important place to monitor coral reefs and observe underwater species.
Quiet lagoons, submerged reefs and islands, fringing reefs, and one of the world's few double barrier reefs are found here. One of the barrier reefs is 124 miles (200 km) long. These different habitats are home to numerous species, including more than 200 corals, 400 mollusks, and 550 fish. The very rare "living fossil fish," the coelacanth, is found here.
The West Madagascar Marine ecoregion provides breeding and feeding sanctuaries to more than a third of all cetaceans on Earth, including large populations of humpback and sperm whales, Andrew's and Blainville's beaked whales, spectacled and Burmeister's porpoises, and dusky dolphins. Rare dugongs swim and feed among thick beds of sea grass. Green and hawksbill sea turtles nest on sandy shores, while leatherback, loggerhead, and olive ridley sea turtles visit the ecoregion. Red-lined sweetlips vacuum the bottom of the ocean floor in search of worms and mollusks. The blue-striped snapper, bright yellow and white, has four blue stripes on its side, and can be seen in large groups near corals.
Livestock grazing, deforestation, construction, destruction of sandbars, and poor agricultural practices result in the runoff of sediments that harm the coral reefs in this ecoregion. DDT and other pesticides, oil, and raw sewage contaminate the water. Coral is mined for cement, and both coral and shells are taken to sell to collectors. Overfishing and destructive fishing practices are serious concerns. Nearby Comoros and Seychelle’s reefs suffered greatly during a 1998 coral bleaching episode.
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