Jbel Moussa (6478)
Morocco, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2016

National site name: Jbel Moussa

Central coordinates: Latitude: 35.9061, Longitude: -5.4286

Elevation (m): 0 to 841

Area of KBA (km²): 41.43718

Protected area coverage (%): 12.16

KBA classification: Regional

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Jbel Moussa is the southern of the two Pillars of Hercules, situated opposite the Rock of Gibraltar on the African side of the Straits of Gibraltar, at the narrow 15-km-wide western entrance to the Mediterranean. A karstic limestone massif, rising steeply from sea-level to 841 m, the site covers some 4,000 ha and includes the small island of Leila, several rocky headlands and bays and the sandy beach of Ras Ciress. The terrestrial vegetation consists of Pinus and Quercus woodland. Annual rainfall averages 1,000 mm. Human activities include fishing, agriculture and tourism.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard. 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 for key species. The site’s principal importance is as a migration bottleneck. Jbel Moussa provides uplifting air currents that are particularly sought out by migrating raptors and soaring species. Huge numbers of European migrants have been recorded passing through, including (per season) more than 90,000 Ciconia ciconia and C. nigra, up to 150,000 Pernis apivorus, 50,000 Milvus migrans and several thousand Hieraaetus pennatus, Circaetus gallicus and Neophron percnopterus. One Aquila adalberti was seen passing through in September 1993, and the species is undoubtedly a regular migrant in small numbers. Many migrating passerines and waders also transit the site, including Larus audouinii, which is a regular migrant along the coast between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.Over 100 species have been recorded in total, of which 50 are known to breed, including four species of the Mediterranean North Africa biome (see Table 2). A colony of Larus cachinnans nests on the island of Leila. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | tourism/recreation

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is a priority 1 SIBE (No. L9). The offshore nesting colony of Larus cachinnans is threatened by egg-collecting and the presence of free-ranging goats which are destroying the vegetation. Overall, the site is threatened by unregulated camping, scuba-diving and the tipping of rubbish at Ras Léona. It is recommended that conservation measures, including an integrated management plan incorporating ecotourism and a migratory bird observatory, be developed.

Additional information