Data Zone
Country/territory: Guinea-Bissau
IBA criteria met: A3, B1a, B3a (2019)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 54,000 hectares (540.00 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2022 | not assessed | very high | very low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
The Parque Natural dos Tarrefes do Rio Cacheu or Rio Cacheu Mangroves Natural Park is located on the northernmost of the rivers which dissect Guinea-Bissau. The area of the National Park includes land on both banks of the river. On the southern side, the site includes stretches from the town of Cacheu eastwards to opposite the village of Apilho, on the northern bank. The northern part of the park is situated nearer the coast and so overlaps only partially with the southern half. It extends from a point some 10 km east of Cacheu, on the opposite bank, to the Rio de Elia, near the estuary mouth, and inland almost as far as the town of São Domingos. The area includes 30,000 ha of mangroves as well as tanne, mud- and sandbanks, semi-dry woodland, palm forest, savanna and agricultural land.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 2 for key species. To date 140 bird species have been recorded including, in addition to those listed below, seven species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome (A05); see Table 2. Few count data are available but, given the habitat, it is probable that the area seasonally holds significant numbers of waterbirds; 2,000 Phoenicopterus minor were recorded in May 2000.
Non-bird biodiversity: The mammal Trichechus senegalensis (VU) occurs.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Rio Cacheu (Guinea-Bissau). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/rio-cacheu-iba-guinea-bissau on 23/12/2024.