Mangroves thrive on flat coastal inlets and estuaries where the ocean tides wash warm salt water high upriver, in this ecoregion as far as 100 km, for example in the Cacheu River of Guinea-Bissau.

The inland fringes of the forest are clad in grasses, ferns and salt-loving plants.

[3] However, the flora in the ecoregion is not as biodiverse as that of East African mangrove forests.

[2] Mangrove swamps are important feeding grounds for fish, birds and animals.

[2] Mangrove habitats are under threat as trees are cut down for timber and firewood or to clear land for agriculture including rice farming.