Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve

Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map showing the location of Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve
Map showing the location of Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve
LocationFrench Guiana, France
Nearest cityKaw
Coordinates4°39′14″N 52°04′38″W / 4.6538°N 52.0771°W / 4.6538; -52.0771
Area947 km2 (366 sq mi)[1]
Established13 March 1998[2]
Governing bodyRegional Natural Park of French Guiana [fr]
WebsiteMarais-kaw.com (in French)
Official nameMarais De Kaw
Designated8 December 1993
Reference no.644[3]

The Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve (French: Réserve naturelle nationale des marais de Kaw-Roura) is a nature reserve in French Guiana, France. The reserve is a wetland, and can only be accessed by boat from Kaw.[4]

Overview

The Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve not only consists of marshland, but also contains mangrove forests, savannas, and tropical rainforests.[4] The reserve measures 94,700 hectares,[5] and is the largest wetland of France. It stretches from Roura to Régina, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Amazonian rainforest. The marshland is fed by the Kaw River, the Approuague and the Angélique Creek.[6]

The Kaw-Roura Marshland has been designated as a Ramsar site since 1993,[3] and a nature reserve since 1998.[2] The reserve is sometimes nicknamed "the Everglades of Guiana".[7]

The village of Kaw is located inside the reserve.[5]

Flora and fauna

A heron in the bamboo

The Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve is home to more than half of the protected species of French Guiana, and includes the black caiman, manatees, the giant otter, the jaguar, and the matamata turtle.[4]

The reserve attracts many birds, and is home to 535 bird species.[4] It is an important breeding and wintering location for many waterbirds.[3] Birds found in the reserve include the agami heron, the great egret, the cock-of-the-rock, and the crested eagle.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Marais De Kaw-Roura". Protected Planet. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Décret no 98-166 du 13 mars 1998 portant création de la réserve naturelle des marais de Kaw-Roura (Guyane)". Government of the French Republic (in French). Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Marais De Kaw". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Marais de Kaw-Roura". Reserves Naturelles (in French). Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Marais de Kaw – Réserve Naturelle en Guyane". Marais-Kaw.com (in French). Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Kaw, la Guyane côté marais". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Guide Kaw". Petit Futé (in French). Retrieved 17 March 2021.