Guinea-Bissau Photograph by Kate Newman   Africa: Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory Coast Mangroves   8,800 square miles (22,800 square kilometers) -- about the size of New Hampshire Vulnerable

· Location and General Description
· Biodiversity Features
· Current Status
· Threats
· Ecoregion Justification
· References
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The Guinean Mangroves, influenced by a large tidal range and high inputs of freshwater, contain stands that are more than 25 m in height and extend as far as 160 km inland. As the best developed mangroves in western Africa, this ecoregion provides important habitat for migratory birds and endangered species such as the West African manatee and the pygmy hippopotamus. However, the mangrove habitat is threatened by agriculture and urban development and has been affected by poor rainfall over the entire region during the past three decades.

Location and General Description

Biodiversity Features

Current Status

Types and Severity of Threats

Justification of Ecoregion Delineation

The Guinean mangroves stretch from Senegal to west of the Dahomey Gap. This gap is a major ecological barrier separating the rainforest regions of West and Central Africa, which in the marine environment represents the end of the influence of the south-north flowing cold waters of the Benguela current. Although more extensive, the West African mangroves are relatively species poor compared to the East African mangroves, containing five compared to nine mangrove tree species.

References

For more general information on this ecoregion, go to the WildWorld version of this description.