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close| Location | Senegal, Cap Vert |
| Central coordinates | 17o 28.00' West 14o 39.00' North |
| IBA criteria | A4ii |
| Area | 45 ha |
| Altitude | 0 - 35m |
| Year of IBA assessment | 2001 |
Ornithological information See Box for key species. The 30 or more pairs of Phaethon aethereus are the only breeding birds of this species known from a mainland African country. The islands harbour a varied avifauna including a breeding colony (400 nests) of Phalacrocorax carbo (introduced in the 1980s from the Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj, part of site SN001), and breeding Corvus albus, Milvus migrans, Galerida cristata and Euplectes orix. Sterna anaethetus breeds on the islands and there are records of Sula leucogaster, Morus bassanus, Larus cachinnans, L. cirrocephalus and L. fuscus. Alaemon alaudipes, restricted to the Sahara–Sindian (A02) biome, has been recorded from the site.
Site description The park consists of three rocky, volcanic islands lying about 4 km west of the Senegal coast, off the southern end of the Cap Vert peninsula on which Dakar lies, and the areas of sea between the islands. The largest, the ‘Iles aux serpents’, is about 15 ha. The islands are covered in steppe-grassland. Trees include baobabs Adansonia, jujubas Ziziphus, prickly-pear Opuntia and tamarinds Tamarindus.
Populations of IBA trigger species
| Species | Season | Period | Population estimate | Quality of estimate | IBA Criteria | IUCN Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus | breeding | - | 30 breeding pairs | - | A4ii | Least Concern |
Protected areas
| Protected area | Designation | Area (ha) | Relationship with IBA | Overlap with IBA (ha) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magdalen Islands (Iles de la Madeleine) | National Park | 45 | protected area contains site | 45 |
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Land use
| Land-use | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|
| nature conservation and research | - |
| tourism/recreation | - |
Other biodiversity The sea-turtle Caretta caretta (EN) has nested on a small beach and the dolphins Steno bredanensis (DD) and Stenella coeruleoalba (LR/cd) have been recorded within the park. The tortoise Geochelone sulcata (VU) has been introduced to the islands.
Management considerations The uncontrolled development of sport-fishing and other marine sporting activities may pose some threat to the National Park’s integrity and cause disturbance in the region of the park. Casual visitors to the park are not controlled and may cause hazards through lighting fires and disturbance to nesting birds.
References IUCN (1987a), WCMC (1989).
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Recommended citation BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Parc National des Iles de la Madeleine. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/05/2013
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
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