Data Zone
The site was identified as important in 2019 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.
Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:| Species | Red List1 | Season | Year(s) | Size | IBA criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus | NT | winter | 2014-2019 | 43 individuals | B1a |
| Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea | VU | winter | 2014-2019 | 41-155 individuals | B1a |
| Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus | CR | resident | 2014-2019 | 12 individuals | A1 |
1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2019) may differ.
Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2019. The most recent assessment (2019) is shown below.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2019 | very unfavourable | high | low |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| no | population | medium | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Reference | Actual | Units | % remaining | Result |
| Great White Egret Ardea alba | 500 | 159 | mature individuals | 32 | very unfavourable |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus | 43 | 43 | mature individuals | 100 | favourable |
| Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola | 66 | 78 | mature individuals | 100 | favourable |
| Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula | 387 | 29 | mature individuals | 8 | very unfavourable |
| Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Residential and commercial development | happening now | some of area/population (10-49%) | moderate to rapid deterioration | high |
| Biological resource use | happening now | majority/most of area/population (50-90%) | moderate to rapid deterioration | high |
| Pollution | happening now | some of area/population (10-49%) | moderate to rapid deterioration | high |
| Human intrusions and disturbance | happening now | majority/most of area/population (50-90%) | slow but significant deterioration | high |
| Transportation and service corridors | happening now | some of area/population (10-49%) | slow but significant deterioration | medium |
| Agricultural expansion and intensification | happening now | small area/few individuals (<10%) | no or imperceptible deterioration | low |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected areas | Management plan | Other action | Result |
| Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation | Not assessed | Not assessed | low |
| Year | Protected Area | Designation | % overlap with IBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sierra Leone River Estuary | Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance | 100 |
| 2012 | Sierra Leone River Estuary | Marine Protected Area | - |
| Habitat1 | Habitat detail | % of IBA |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | Lowland forest - dry deciduous, Mangrove | 90 |
| Marine Intertidal | 3 | |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | 2 | |
| Marine Neritic | 2 | |
| Wetlands (inland) | Rivers & streams | 2 |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 1 |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| agriculture | - |
| fisheries/aquaculture | - |
| urban/industrial/transport | - |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Sierra Leone River Estuary (Sierra Leone). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/sierra-leone-river-estuary-iba-sierra-leone on 23/11/2024.