Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Koumbé Niasso lies between the towns of Toguéré-Koumbé and Ténenkou on the western side of the Inner Delta of the Niger. It is situated to the east of the Diaka river, about 15 km south of Séri (site ML011). The site includes an area of seasonally flooded
Acacia woodland surrounded by flooded grassland, seasonal agricultural land and permanent water-bodies in the deeper depressions. The site is defined as a circular area with a diameter of 10 km, centred on the woodland which, in 1986, was reported to be increasing in extent.
See Box for key species. There are two major heron breeding colonies, 1.5 km apart, included within this site. In both 1985 and 1986 these sites together held over 30,000 pairs of herons of 10 species.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The purpose of including an area surrounding the core woodland is to provide a buffer zone to prevent excessive disturbance and to allow for the further regeneration of woodland. The birds breeding at the site use a larger area of up to 30 km radius to feed, but much of this is agricultural land which does not require protection or any particular management for conservation. As with other woodland sites within the Sahelian region of Mali, this site is threatened by clearance for fuelwood, overgrazing by goats and by clearance for rice cultivation. The importance of the site as a breeding colony also depends upon the annual flood continuing to reach the woodland.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Koumbé Niasso (Mali). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/koumbé-niasso-iba-mali on 23/11/2024.
