Pointes et plages de Saziley et Charifou: A Geographic and Protected Coastal Landscape Study

The protected area was formally established in 1997 as part of Mayotte's growing system of protected natural sites, and is owned and managed by the Conservatoire du Littoral, the French national agency responsible for safeguarding coastal land. Under this ownership, the site is managed primarily for habitat and species conservation, recognising the unusual combination of dry terrestrial vegetation and mangrove-fringed coastline at Mayotte's southern extremity. Its later incorporation, alongside Mont Choungui, into the Mlima Choungui and Sazilé Important Bird Area reflects an expanding recognition of its value for endemic Comoran bird species.

Pointes et plages de Saziley et Charifou occupies a compact but physically striking stretch of Mayotte's south-eastern coast. The most prominent feature is Point Saziley, a 4 kilometre ridge that forms the south-easternmost tip of Grande-Terre and rises sharply to around 233 metres. Its topography is unusually rugged for a small Indian Ocean island, with a knife-edge profile that falls steeply on both sides toward the sea.

The ridge sits in dramatic contrast with the lower coastal flats west of the headland. There, the beaches and back-beach areas of Dapani and Charifou are backed by mangrove communities, creating a transitional zone between marine, wetland, and dry-land environments. The juxtaposition of exposed dry ridge, sandy beach, mangrove channel, and open ocean gives the site a layered coastal scenery refined within a small area.

The protected area encompasses two strongly contrasting ecological zones that meet at Mayotte's south-eastern tip. Above all, the slopes of Point Saziley carry a dry shrubland and thicket community dominated by hardy, xeric-tolerant species, in which baobab trees (Adansonia digitata) take a leading role. This dry-land vegetation is unexpected in the generally humid Comoro setting and reflects the rain-shadow and exposure of the headland.

Below the ridge, the coastal flats include mangrove systems tied to the beaches of Dapani and Charifou, providing brackish, sheltered habitat and acting as a buffer between terrestrial ecosystems and the fringing reef. The adjacent marine waters, recognised as part of Mayotte Marine Natural Park, extend the protected mosaic seaward.

The reserve supports an unusually rich community of endemic and regionally restricted species for its small size. Endemic Comoros olive pigeons (Columba pollenii) and Comoros blue pigeons (Alectroenas sganzini) occur alongside island-endemic passerines including the Mayotte white-eye (Zosterops mayottensis), the Mayotte sunbird (Cinnyris coquerellii), and the red-headed fody (Foudia eminentissima). The site's significance for these species underlies its recognition as part of an Important Bird Area together with Mont Choungui.

Reptile life is also notable, with three Comoran day gecko species documented, including Robert Mertens's day gecko (Phelsuma robertmertensi), the island day gecko (Phelsuma nigristriata), and Pasteur's day gecko (Phelsuma v-nigra pasteuri). The sandy beaches are a nesting ground for green sea turtles and likely also hawksbill sea turtles, linking the terrestrial reserve directly to marine biodiversity.

Pointes et plages de Saziley et Charifou carries a formal IUCN Category IV designation, recognising its role as a habitat and species management area. The site is owned and managed by the Conservatoire du Littoral, giving it long-term institutional protection under French national coastal-conservation policy. Its terrestrial ecosystems, particularly the dry thicket on Point Saziley, are unusual at the regional scale, and the inclusion of fringing beaches and mangroves extends the conservation value across the land-sea interface.

Inclusion of the site, together with Mont Choungui, in the Mlima Choungui and Sazilé Important Bird Area formally recognised by BirdLife International underscores the reserve's importance for the conservation of Comoran bird endemics. Its position fronting marine waters included in the Mayotte Marine Natural Park adds an additional layer of biodiversity protection, especially for nesting sea turtles.

Pointes et plages de Saziley et Charifou is notable for the unusual combination of a dry, baobab-studded ridge falling straight to white-sand beaches and mangroves within a single small reserve. It is a key site for Comoros-endemic birds, hosting multiple restricted-range pigeon, white-eye, sunbird, and fody species. Nesting green and likely hawksbill sea turtles on its beaches connect the reserve directly to broader Indian Ocean marine conservation, reinforced by its overlap with the Mayotte Marine Natural Park.

As a small coastal-headland reserve on Grande-Terre, the site offers sheltered walking opportunities across different vegetation zones. The area is generally appealing when the dry climate of the ridge is stable and the beaches are accessible, reflecting the semi-arid character of the headland's vegetation.