Atachi-Bakka Mountains

Sites de la Guyane

Territory : French Guiana
Area : 55,200 ha
Status : Unprotected, located in the Amazonian Park’s buffer zone
Owner : Private or public state property, private agricultural plots on the outskirts
Management authority : ONF (National Forestry Agency)
Habitats : Primary forest, massif and table mountain inhabited by Guianan Cocks-of-the-rock
Uses : Naturalist activities, hunting, traditional rituals, gold mining and tourism potential

20 km southeast of the town of Maripasoula, in western French Guiana, the Atachi-Bakka mountains cover more than 55,200 ha and have been classified as a Type 1 ZNIEFF (natural area of particular interest in terms of ecology and wildlife).

Guianan Toucanet, French Guiana, M. Giraud-Audine

Essentially a forested area, they are covered by dense, dryland forest, submontane forest, lowland forest on lateritic soil and rocky river rapids. Species typically associated with forest habitats, such as the marail guan, Guianan toucanet, black-throated antshrike and the rufous-bellied antwren, are present on these mountains

Marshy plains and rivers occupy the valley bottoms, which are covered by alluvial and riparian (riverside) forests. The Atachi-Bakka mountains form a broad plateau oriented north-west/south-east, which extends for almost 6 km. Machoulou Mountain (Important Bird Area, IBA), which reaches a height of 780m, is one of the highest peaks in French Guiana. The numerous rock shelters linked to this habitat offer potential breeding sites for the Guianan Cock-of-the-rock.

Machoulou Mountain is known in French Guiana as an ancient center of speciation (appearance of new species following the isolation of certain populations) and for its extremely high biodiversity.

The Atachi-Bakka Mountains have not been granted any particular protection.