Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
This triangular area, in the south-west of the country, comprises the marshes of the lower Kouffo river, Lake Ahémé, into which the river drains, and the ‘Aho complex’ consisting of marshes beside the Aho river, which carries water from the lake to the sea, and the coastal strip between the towns of Grand-Popo to the west and Ouidah to the east. The south of Lake Ahémé is fringed with
Typha australis and the Aho supports mangroves (
Rhizophora sp. and
Avicennia sp.), maintained by seasonal influxes of brackish water.
See Box for key species. The records of
Sterna balaenarum come from the Bouche du Roi, part of the Aho delta where there is a channel to the sea. Large flocks of
Chlidonias niger forage on the lake. In addition, three species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome (A04) have also been recorded; see Table 2.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals: African Manatee Trichechus senegalensis (VU) was reported from Lake Ahémé in the mid-1970s.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The area was declared a Ramsar Site in January 2000. Threats include hunting, pollution, mangrove destruction and deforestation but some human activities, particularly the building of platforms for fishing, are beneficial to many piscivorous birds.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Ahémé and Aho complex (Benin). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-ahémé-and-aho-complex-iba-benin on 23/11/2024.
