Sebkha Bou Areg (6483)
Morocco, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Sebkha Bou Areg
Central coordinates: Latitude: 35.1667, Longitude: -2.8500
Elevation (m): 0 to 105
Area of KBA (km2): 137.44529
Protected area coverage (%): 82.04
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site is a long narrow lagoon on the Mediterranean coast in north-east Morocco, lying between the Cap des Trois Fourches and the Cap de l’Eau (Ras el Ma). Sebkha Bou Areg (also known as Ma Chica) is separated from the open sea by a 24-km-long sandbar, broken near its middle by a narrow channel. The site is bordered on the north-west by the port of Beni Enzar, to the west by the town of Nador, and to the south by the village of Kariat Arkmane. Although covering almost 18,000 ha, the lagoon is shallow, nowhere more than 7 m deep, and in some areas salt is precipitated through evaporation of seawater. The limits of the IBA encompass the lagoon, its sandbar, and the fringing coast, including a rocky conical hill on a promontory which rises to 105 m, but most of the site lies below 10 m. Annual rainfall is 400 mm. The lagoon vegetation consists of Zostera marina and Posidonia caulinii: on shore, Salicornia dominates and there is a well-developed reedbed near Kariat Arkmane.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. 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. A total of 160 species has been recorded at Sebka Bou Areg, many of them breeding. Phoenicopterus ruber and Glareola pratincola are both former breeders. The site is well known for its large numbers of waders and other waterbirds. In addition to the six species which regularly exceed IBA threshold levels, Glareola pratincola may do so exceptionally. Numenius tenuirostris formerly occurred, but the last confirmed sightings were of three overwintering birds in 1990 and 1991. Non-bird biodiversity: Two nationally rare skinks, Chalcides ghiari and C. mauritanicus, are present.
Delineation rationale: Type 1 marine IBA: suitable for the seaward extension approach. Type 2 marine IBA: non-breeding (coastal) congregations.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | hunting | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is a priority 2 SIBE (No. L2), but currently has no legal protection. The main human activities are fishing, fish-farming and salt harvesting. The site is threatened by industrial and tourist development; overfishing of the lagoonal resources including molluscs (particularly Pinna nobilis); and reclamation of areas of the lagoon for agriculture and pollution. Breeding species are increasingly threatened by human disturbance including shooting, egg-collecting and destruction of nests of ground-nesting species such as terns and gulls.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Run-off | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Abstraction of surface water (agricultural use) | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Abstraction of surface water (domestic use) | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Abstraction of surface water (commercial use) | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Sewage | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Work & other activities | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: BCEOM-SECA (1995c).