Iles Ehotile National Park

Iles Ehotile National Park

The Îles Ehotilé National Park is located in the Sud-Comoé region of Côte d'Ivoire. The park is made up of a group of low islands and the intervening channels separating the Aby Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean. In 1974, the national park was created at the request of local communities who wanted to protect their heritage places. In 2005, the Ehotile Islands were designated as a Ramsar site under the name Îles Ehotilé-Essouman, and in 2006 a nomination was presented to UNESCO to designate the site as a World Heritage Site. Archaeological and historical sites on these islands are equally protected. The archipelago is made up of six islands in the estuary, these are Assokomonobaha, Balouate, Meha, Nyamouan, Elouamin and the sacred Bosson Assoun. It has a surface area of 722 hectares, not counting the surrounding maritime area. The islands' flora is very diverse for such a small region, as the coastal zone is mostly mangrove forest and the inner part of the island is mostly tropical forest with dense undergrowth. Here, 128 bird species from 35 families have been recorded. The majority of these are aquatic species, and the park is also visited by migratory species in the dry season. Resident birds include the Little Grebe, African Darter, Reed Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron, Striated Heron, Western Reef Heron, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Woolly-Necked Stork, and White-Faced Whistling Duck. The park is also home to duikers and bushpigs, as well as the Manatee, an aquatic mammal typical of the Ivorian lagoons.