Kalissaye Avifaunal Reserve (6854)
Senegal, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Kalissaye Avifaunal Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: 12.6667, Longitude: -16.7667
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 458.06134
Protected area coverage (%): 93.36
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site lies at the mouth of the Kalissaye river in south-western Senegal (Casamance region) and consists of two sandy islands lying off the Pointe de Sankoye. It lies about 35 km north-west of Parc National de Basse Casamance (site SN014). The strong currents in the estuary modify the mobile sand substrate, changing the shape and size of the islands continually. The vegetation on the islands is characterized by littoral sand-loving species such as Ipomoea pes-caprae, Sporobolus spicatus and Alternanthera maritima. The site was established as a reserve and sanctuary to protect breeding seabirds and sea-turtles.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: The reserve is a home to 73 bird species, including 10,000 pairs of breeding Sterna caspia and thousands of breeding Pelecanus Onocrotalus. Other species ornithological diversity include Sterna maxima, S. nilotica, Larus genei, L. cirrocephalus and Pandion haliaetus. Non-bird biodiversity: Two species of sea-turtle, Chelonia mydas (EN) and Caretta caretta (EN), are recorded breeding and the mammal Trichechus senegalensis (VU) is reported from the site.
Other site values: Since its designation as a Reserve in 1978, ROK is managed by the Direction National des Parcs (DPN). The islands inside the sreserve are occupied by families who depend their entire life on the resources of the reserve.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The Kalissaye Avifaunal Reserve is mainly composed by terrestrail, aquatic and mairne areas. The micro-habitats include waterbody, mangrove, marshland, wooded islands, mudflat, palmelais, beach, etc.
Land use: nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 8 | |
| Forest | 80 | |
| Marine Oceanic | 10 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Concern has been expressed about the erosion by ocean currents of a sandbar and the islands on which the pelican colony and other species breed. Conflict and unrest which has occurred in the Casamance region in recent years has resulted in the cessation of any counts of breeding birds or monitoring of the conservation status of the reserve, which was closed in 1992 as a result of these problems.
Additional information
References: DPN (1996), Hughes and Hughes (1992), IUCN (1987a), Morel and Morel (1990), WCMC (1989). FIBA (2011). Evaluation écologique de la résérve ornithologique de Kalissaye. dec. 2011.muligr.