Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
This site is situated on the south-east coast, near the town of Catió, and consists of the estuary of Rio Tombali, the coastal mudflats between the mouths of the Rio Tombali and the Rio Cumbijã and the Ilha de Melo which lies between the mouths of the Rio Cumbijã and the Rio Cacine, immediately to the east. The site includes 32,500 ha of sandflats and mudflats and c.45,000 ha of mangroves and drier woodland and forest.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. The total number of wintering waterbirds that use this area has been estimated at over 160,000.
Non-bird biodiversity: The mammal Trichechus senegalensis (VU) occurs.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Main threats include clearance of mangroves for fuelwood and for rice cultivation.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Rio Tombali, Rio Cumbijã and Ilha de Melo (Guinea-Bissau). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/rio-tombali-rio-cumbijã-and-ilha-de-melo-iba-guinea-bissau on 23/12/2024.
