This article presents a study of shifting cultivation in Guinea-Bissau, illustrating the diversity, flexibility and resilience of these multifold agricultural practices and of its non-linear relation with deforestation and biodiversity conservation. The comparative analysis of the country’s three social and agro-ecological regions shows that the shortest fallows are not associated with the longest cultivation periods and with higher population densities. Further, the fast-track conversion of shifting cultivation into permanent agriculture with orchards is similar in the three regions, and is not occurring in response to land scarcity, shorter fallows and decreasing soil fertility. The article, then, adds depth to the understanding of the complexity of shifting cultivation in Africa and of its multiple routes of transformation into permanent agriculture.