Marais de Kaw, Ramsar wetland in French Guiana

The Marais de Kaw is a protected wetland of about 137,000 hectares in eastern French Guiana, spanning the communes of Régina and Roura. Its habitats are connected by natural waterways: grassland swamps, mangrove forests, tidal rivers and mudflats form a patchwork of aquatic and semi-aquatic environments.

The Marais de Kaw was designated a Ramsar site by France in 1993, covering 137,000 hectares of wetlands. This recognition placed the area under international protection for its role as habitat for waterbirds and black caimans. The site is managed within the Amazonian Park of French Guiana, established in 2007.

The village of Kaw is home to about 50 residents who have practiced fishing for generations using traditional methods passed down through families. People here move through the wetland as part of their daily routine, with deep knowledge of the landscape and its rhythms.

Visitors explore this wetland through guided boat tours along the Kaw River, where trained guides help identify wildlife and explain the different habitats. Travel by water is essential here, as walking across muddy terrain is difficult and most areas are only accessible by river and creek routes.

The Marais de Kaw holds the largest black caiman population in France and one of the most important worldwide. The species reaches here the northern limit of its range, and the tidal creeks and swamps give it a refuge found nowhere else on European territory.