Data Zone
Country/territory: Guinea
IBA criteria met: A1, A4i, A4iii (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 85,000 ha
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2001 | not assessed | medium | not assessed |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
This coastal site lies west of the town of Boké on the international border with Guinea-Bissau, which forms its western boundary. It consists of an estuarine complex comprising two main islands, Ile Katarak (the largest) and Ile Kapken, and two smaller ones, Niémé Souri and Foré Souri, at the mouth of the River Kogon. Much of the area is covered in mangroves as well as fresh and brackish water marshes, rice-fields and extensive intertidal mudflats (2,300 ha). Secondary forest and wooded savanna occurs on the highest points (5 m) of the islands. To the south-west of Ile Katarak lies a sandy islet known as Pani Bankhi, which is covered with halophytic vegetation.
Key biodiversity
See Box for key species. Counts of between 5,000–10,000 Phoenicopterus minor have been made. The breeding colonies of Platalea alba and Sterna caspia, as well as of Threskiornis aethiopica (75 pairs) and Larus cirrocephalus are located on Pani Bankhi. In addition, Ardea goliath, Ciconia episcopus, Scopus umbretta, Haliaetus vocifer and Balearica pavonina are suspected to breed. The mudflats surrounding the islands, particularly those adjacent to the village of Katchek on Ile Katarak, hold more than 20,000 wintering waders and it is likely that further counts would reveal that more species exceed 1% thresholds.
Non-bird biodiversity: Among mammals, Trichechus senegalensis (VU) is found in the mangroves, and the dolphin Sousa teuszii (DD) has been recorded from the channel between Ile Katarak and Pani Bankhi.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Iles Tristao (Guinea). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/iles-tristao-iba-guinea on 23/11/2024.