Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
This site is located in the north-eastern part of the Inner Delta of the Niger, some 25 km north-west of the town of Kona and 20 km south-east of Lac Débo (site ML009). The site includes two areas of
Acacia woodland, approximately 4 km apart, which support mixed heron and cormorant breeding colonies. The IBA is defined as a circle with a diameter of 10 km, centred on the middle of the woodland area. The area surrounding the woods is composed of seasonally inundated agricultural land, permanently and semi-permanently flooded depressions and areas of mixed grasses.
See Box for key species. In 1985 more than 15,000 pairs of herons and cormorants of nine species were recorded breeding at Timisobo while in 1986 up to 20,000 pairs of herons and cormorants of 10 species were breeding at Képagou.
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. The woodland at Timisobo was completely burnt down in 1959 and most of the current wood has regrown since 1973, while that at Képagou increased in extent between 1970 and 1985. Woodlands in the Inner Niger Delta are threatened by clearance for rice cultivation and degradation through overgrazing by goats during the dry season. 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: Timisobo - Képagou (Mali). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/timisobo--képagou-iba-mali on 23/11/2024.
