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Centro
de Cartografia |
CACHEU
AND ORANGO
The
importance of the Cacheu and Orango regions (Guinea-Bissau)
for nature conservation has been established during the
1980´s by the Guinean authorities and IUCN - The World
Conservation Union. In 1997 two parks have been officially
classified, one in each region. Orango National Park is
located in the Bijagos archipelago, which is almost entirely
a biosphere reserve since 1996, and Cacheu River Natural
Park is situated along the Cacheu River close to the northern
border with Senegal.
Map
of Guinea-Bissau with the location of the parks.
Click
here to see a Landsat
TM image of Orango
(March 1998)
Click
here to see a Landsat
TM image of Cacheu (March 1998)
Both
regions have extensive areas of mangrove,
which is one of the most productive vegetal formations
on Earth, and extremely important for protection against
erosion and for the reproduction and shelter of many marine
organisms (Diniz 1994, 1999). Mudflats
and sands visible during low-tide border the areas
of mangrove, and in Orango there are many sandbanks.
There are also large areas of palm
tree groves , and extensive savannas,
with varying degrees of shrub density in both regions,
and in Cacheu relevant patches of dry
tropical forest , still exist. These two regions
have important populations of hippopotamus (Hippopotamus
amphibious), nile crocodiles (Crocodilus niloticus)
and manatees (Tricheclum senegalensis) just to
name three of the most emblematic species. Cacheu´s mangroves
are crucial for the sustainability of shrimp catches at
national level, and Orango holds internationally important
populations of birds, sea mammals and sea turtles.
The
recent socio-economic history of Guinea-Bissau, particularly
from the fifties onwards, has determined important changes
in the traditional type and intensity of land use. Since
land use practices directly affect vegetation cover, it
is important to evaluate changes and to identify and quantify
its areas.
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