Bissagos Islands

The site has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because its intertidal mudflats and mangroves support significant populations of non-breeding and wintering waterbirds, especially large numbers of migratory Palaearctic waders, gulls and terns, as well as greater flamingos and pink-backed pelicans.

[12] Due to difficulties of communication with mainland Guinea-Bissau that persist to this day, the population has a considerable degree of autonomy and has shielded its ancestral culture from outside influence.

[13] Other sources dispute this and suggest that closer examination has revealed a fundamentally patriarchal society where women, in spite of their substantial participation in material production and important roles in social, political, and religious matter, remain essentially unequal to men.

[14] A 2016 study suggested that female status in Bijagos society was diminished during the slave trade era (likely due to European influence) but has become more valued again in more recent times.

[15] In 2012, a study by Bissau-Guinean sociologist Boaventura Santy examined the social representations of the people of the island of Formosa Bijagó about possible threats from climate change.

Among the most striking Bidyogo art pieces are the portable ancestor shrines ("iran") and the zoomorphic masks representing cows ("vaca-bruta"), sharks, stingrays and, occasionally, other local animals.

Traditionally-decorated artifacts are also produced for "fanado" coming-of-age ceremonies (wood masks, spears, shields, headgear, bracelets), daily activities (fishing, agriculture) and personal use (stools, basketry, foodware).