Area 16 ha Established 1978 | Visitors 0 (in 2006) | |
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Kalissaye Avifaunal Reserve (KAR) is a small nature reserve in Senegal, located at the mouth of Kalissaye Pond in the middle of the Casamance River.
Contents
Like Basse Casamance National Park 35 km away, KAR is currently closed due to the Casamance Conflict.
Flora
On the small sandy islands making up the reserve, vegetation consists mainly of Ipomoea pes-caprae, Sporobolus spicatus, and Alternanthera maritima.
Fauna
The reserve was created in 1978 to protect sea turtle and seabird colonies.
There were more than 10,000 Caspian terns (Sterna caspia) in the reserve during the 1980s, and there are also many royal terns (Thalasseus maximus) and great white pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus).
Several sea turtle species are quite populous, including loggerheads (Caretta caretta) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas).
The common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and the African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) are also observed in the area.