Poilão is a small uninhabited island in the Bijagós Archipelago of

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...

. It contains the country's southernmost point, at 10°51'53"N,15°43'36"W. It is part of the

João Vieira and Poilão Marine National Park João is a given name of Portuguese origin. It is equivalent to the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the s ...

. The island is heavily forested. The nearest islands are Meio, to the north, Cavalos, to the north and João Vieira, to the north-northeast. Its area is 43 ha. Between ca. 7000 and 29,000

green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...

(''Chelonia mydas'') nests are laid per year at the globally important site of Poilão Island. There is a lighthouse on the island, with focal height .

Cultural importance

While it is uninhabited, the island of Poilão is a sacred site for the people of the Bijagós Archipelago, and is traditionally owned by the community of the island of

Roxa Roxa
in the Catalogue of Islands at The fact that it is considered sacred by the indigenous people meant that Poilão was not used as a place to hunt or gather resources. Men do not generally land on the island, with exceptions being allowed for traditional ceremonies. However, researchers carrying out a turtle survey on the island in 2000 found evidence of temporary shelters, including turtle remains, on the island. These are thought to be from non-local fishermen, who have sometimes been observed off-shore. As the ceremonies being held on the island are coming of age ceremonies for men, young women have traditionally been prohibited from the island. The island is part of the

, which was established in 2000. The archipelago as a whole is considered a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. The island is now regularly monitored by park rangers. Local communities are involved in the management and decision making of the park, and many staff are local. Upon request, these communities are allowed to use land or hunt turtles for traditional ceremonies. During negotiations to create the park, it was agreed that the number of turtles used in traditional ceremonies would be reduced and that access to the sacred islands would be granted to a small number of researchers and tourists (although research is limited to the beach, with the forest remaining off-limits). In turn, it was agreed that locals would be hired to assist with park activities. Regular turtle nest monitoring began in 2007, and youth from Roxa began to be regularly employed from 2010.

Geography

Poilão is 43 ha, with sandy beaches making up of its coastline. A rocky

intertidal zone The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various ...

stretches around the island. A rainy season occurs from May to November. It is the most remote island in the archipelago, separated from others by open ocean.

Wildlife

The forests on the island are undisturbed. The islands sacred status has contributed to it becoming a very successful

nesting site. A survey in 2000 estimated that 7,400 green sea turtle nests were laid on the island, along with 6

hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution that is largel ...

nests. In 2014 40,000 nests were laid on the island, including more than 1,000 on some individual nights. 5% of the global green sea turtle population nests on Poilão alone, making it the largest breeding site in Africa, and one of the five largest in the world. The local green turtle population has remained stable despite a global decrease. Turtle nests are so plentiful on the island that many nests overlap. Nests here face few risks from predators or floods. Beginning in 2019, eggs from overlapping nests began to be moved to João Vieira. Small numbers of leatherback sea turtle nests are also laid annually. The nesting season runs from July to October.

Monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and West African Nile monitor, one species is also found in south America as an invasive species. A ...

s on the island occasionally predate turtle nests, as do ''

Ocypode cursor ''Ocypode cursor'', the tufted ghost crab, is a species of ghost crab found on sandy beaches along the coasts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and eastern Mediterranean Sea. Description ''Ocypode cursor'' can reach a carapace width of . ''O. ...

'' crabs.

Humpback dolphin Humpback dolphins are members of the genus ''Sousa''. These dolphins are characterized by the conspicuous humps and elongated dorsal fins found on the backs of adults of the species. Humpback dolphins inhabit shallow nearshore waters along coast ...

s and

bottlenose dolphin The bottlenose dolphin is a toothed whale in the genus ''Tursiops''. They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus contains three species: the common bot ...

s inhabit the waters around the island, as do fish including ''

Caranx ''Caranx'' is a genus of tropical to subtropical marine (ocean), marine fishes in the jack family Carangidae, commonly known as jacks, trevallies and kingfishes. They are moderate- to large-sized, deep-bodied fishes which are distinguished from o ...

'' species, ''

Lutjanus ''Lutjanus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, snappers belonging to the Family (biology), family Lutjanidae. They are found in the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. They are predation, predatory fish usually ...

'' species, and

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poilao Bolama region Bissagos Islands