Belezma (6179)
Algeria, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2016

National site name: Belezma

Central coordinates: Latitude: 35.5988, Longitude: 6.0770

Elevation (m): 1000 to 2000

Area of KBA (km²): 328.38529

Protected area coverage (%): 78.24

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site lies south-west of Constantine and about 20 km north-west of the town of Batna, in the range of mountains called the Monts de Belezma. These mountains (which reach 2,178 m at Djebel Rafaa, near Col de Telmet) are the northern outlier of the Massif de l’Aurès, which lies at the eastern end of the Hauts Plateaux. The Monts de Belezma have a sub-humid climate with cold winters. There are large areas of Cedrus atlantica forest above 1,300 m. The coordinates are estimated from maps and derived from the town of Col de Telmet and may not accurately reflect the location of the National Park and its boundaries.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Mediterranean Hotspot (2017). Taxonomy, nomenclature and global threat category follow the 2016 IUCN Red List.

Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 2 for key species. There is a colony of Falco naumanni at Col de Telmet and reports of another possible colony at Djebel Chélia in the Massif de l’Aurès, c.70 km to the south-east. There is no additional information concerning these colonies and the status of the species in Algeria generally is poorly known. Most records of the biome-restricted species are from the Massif de l’Aurès region in general, but it is considered valid to suppose that most if not all of these occur in the Parc National du Belezma, providing suitable habitats are present. More survey work will be needed to confirm this and to determine whether the National Park boundaries are also the most appropriate for the IBA. Given the lack of information available at present, the National Park is used to provide a pragmatic, working definition of the site. This is the only IBA in the north of the country from which Ammomanes deserti is recorded. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Habitats

Land use: nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: No information.

Additional information