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close| Location | Mayotte (to France), Chirongui Canton |
| Central coordinates | 45o 9.00' East 12o 55.00' South |
| IBA criteria | A1, A2 |
| Area | 325 ha |
| Altitude | 0 - 5m |
| Year of IBA assessment | 2001 |
Ornithological information See Box and Table 2 for key species. Most of the forest-living birds of Mayotte occur. Of special importance at this site is the small population in the south (around Chirongui) of the restricted-range species Foudia eminentissima, which is otherwise poorly represented in the site inventory for Mayotte. Other species rare or absent from inland sites on Mayotte include the herons Ardeola idae and Butorides striatus and most shorebirds. In addition to the species listed, the threatened Ardea humbloti may occur as an occasional visitor.
Site description The site comprises the coastal fringe of the large bay in south-west Mayotte. It extends from Poroani village (in the north) to Karoni hamlet, including the largest extent of mangrove on Mayotte (and indeed the Comoro archipelago), the landward strip adjacent to it, and also some intertidal mud. The strip is about 13 km long, and the mangrove belt reaches a maximum thickness of about 800 m. The landward side is cultivated with bananas and coconut, with a woodland of large trees (especially Heritiera sp. and Erythrina sp.) bordering the coast. The coastal plain is almost flat for up to 1.5 km inland. The towns of Chirongui and Tsimkoura lie a few hundred metres inland on this strip.
Populations of IBA trigger species
| Species | Season | Period | Population estimate | Quality of estimate | IBA Criteria | IUCN Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madagascar Pond-heron Ardeola idae | winter | - | present [units unknown] | - | A1 | Endangered |
| Mayotte Drongo Dicrurus waldenii | resident | 1998 | present [units unknown] | - | A1, A2 | Vulnerable |
| Mayotte White-eye Zosterops mayottensis | resident | 1998 | present [units unknown] | - | A2 | Least Concern |
| Mayotte Sunbird Nectarinia coquerellii | resident | 1998 | present [units unknown] | - | A2 | Least Concern |
| Red-headed Fody Foudia eminentissima | resident | 1998 | present [units unknown] | - | A2 | Least Concern |
Land use
| Land-use | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|
| agriculture | - |
| forestry | - |
| not utilised | - |
Other biodiversity Threatened ecosystem: mangrove (largest area in Comoro archipelago). Reptiles: Phelsuma robertmertensii. No other data specific to this site.
Management considerations The mangroves are threatened by heavy sediment loads from the deforested interior; the extent of any wood-cutting is not known. This relatively remote coast is not immediately threatened by development for infrastructure or tourism.
References Benson (1960), Louette (1988a,c, 1999), Louette et al. (1993), Stevens and Louette (1999).
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Recommended citation BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Baie de Bouéni. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
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