Rising sea a threat to Bijagos archipelago

TURQUOISE waves splash against the white sand beaches of the Bijagos archipelago, where locals fear rising sea levels will swallow their islands whole.

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Off the Atlantic coast of tropical Guinea-Bissau, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to colonies of sea turtles, hippos, sharks, manatees, and nearly 850 000 migratory birds.

The archipelago hosts several sacred sites as well as artisanal fisheries relied upon by some 25 000 inhabitants.

Made up of 88 islands and islets - of which only about 20 are permanently inhabited - the archipelago stretches more than 10 000 square kilometres (3 850 square miles).

"Every year, we lose up to 2 metres of the beach," said Antonio Honoria Joao, administrative assistant and community organiser at Guinea-Bissau's Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Marine Areas (IBAP).

He was in Bubaque, one of the archipelago's most populated islands with nearly 5 000 inhabitants. Joao said the island was "in danger".

"Fifty years ago, the beach was very wide," he said, strolling along the sliver of remaining shoreline littered with wrecked canoes and collapsed sections of wall.