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GW008
Cantanhez forests
Location Guinea-Bissau, Tombali
Central coordinates 15o 0.00' West  11o 15.00' North
IBA criteria A1, A3
Area 65,000 ha
Altitude 0 - 40m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See Box and Table 2 for key species. The area has yet to be properly surveyed.

Site description The proposed Cantanhez (Canthenthês) Forests National Park is situated in the south-east of the country, on the international border with the Republic of Guinea. The site includes river flood-plains and mangroves on the northern and western banks of the upper reaches of the Rio Cacine and areas of savanna and forest extending inland as far as the village of Cumbijã, thence south-east to the frontier. It includes the best remaining example of semi-humid forest in the country. The forest is dominated by Afzelia africana, Alstonia congensis, Antiaris africana, Ceiba pentandra, Dialium guineense, Ficus spp. and Parinari excelsa. Rainfall is restricted to May–November and does not usually exceed 2,600 mm per annum.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Senegal Parrot Poicephalus senegalus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Guinea Turaco Tauraco persa resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-throated Coucal Centropus leucogaster resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-bellied Kingfisher Alcedo leucogaster resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
African Pied Hornbill Tockus fasciatus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Yellow-casqued Hornbill Ceratogymna elata resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A3  Vulnerable 
Little Green Woodpecker Campethera maculosa resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Buff-spotted Woodpecker Campethera nivosa resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Yellow-billed Shrike Corvinella corvina resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Oriole Warbler Hypergerus atriceps resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Honeyguide Greenbul Baeopogon indicator resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Spotted Greenbul Ixonotus guttatus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Simple Greenbul Chlorocichla simplex resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Swamp Greenbul Thescelocichla leucopleura resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Grey-headed Bristlebill Bleda canicapillus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Bearded Bulbul Criniger barbatus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Red-tailed Bulbul Criniger calurus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Yellow-spotted Nicator Nicator chloris resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Purple Glossy-starling Lamprotornis purpureus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-crowned Robin-chat Cossypha albicapilla resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-fronted Black-chat Myrmecocichla albifrons resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Green Sunbird Anthreptes rectirostris resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Red-headed Malimbe Malimbus rubricollis resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch Nigrita bicolor resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-cheeked Oliveback Nesocharis capistrata resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-throated Firefinch Lagonosticta larvata resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Cantanhez Forest Hunting Reserve 68,000 protected area contains site 65,000  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial)   10%
Unknown   21%
Forest   67%

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture -
hunting -
nature conservation and research -

Other biodiversity Primates include Pan troglodytes (EN), Procolobus badius (LR/nt), Colobus polykomos (LR/nt) and Papio papio (LR/nt). Trichechus senegalensis (VU) has been recorded from the upper reaches of the Rio Cacine.

Management considerations Part of the forest was classified as a Non-hunting Reserve, but the regulations are not enforced and there is no effective protection for the forest habitat. The area has been proposed as the Cantanhez (Canthenthês) Forests National Park, and there is apparently general agreement between the central and local authorities and the local population of the need to take action to conserve this area. The human population within the proposed park is estimated at 4,100. Encroachment through shifting cultivation is leading to degradation and destruction, particularly in the northern sector. Hunting has, with the partial exception of primates, reduced or eliminated populations of larger mammals.

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Cantanhez forests. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013

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