Barrage Idriss Premier (6490)
Morocco, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2016

National site name: Barrage Idriss Premier

Central coordinates: Latitude: 34.1333, Longitude: -4.6667

Elevation (m): 200 to 310

Area of KBA (km²): 33.4721

KBA classification: Regional

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site is a large reservoir on the Oued Inaouen, north-east of Fès, at 200 m altitude, flooded in 1973 by the construction of the Idriss Premier dam. The reservoir is 16 km long and mostly bordered by low, cultivated hills, although at the upstream end there is a small area of natural grassland. The average annual precipitation is 540 mm.

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.

Additional biodiversity: See Box for key species. Given the lack of natural vegetation around the majority of the site, its key interest is as a stopping point for Palearctic migrants. One species of the Mediterranean North Africa biome, Phoenicurus moussieri, occurs (see Table 2). Non-bird biodiversity: The endemic fish Alosa alosa (DD) used to occur. Its current status in the reservoir is not known, and it may have been eliminated by introduced competitors and predators.

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | hunting | water management

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is considered to be a priority 3 SIBE (No. H11). Threats include uncontrolled hunting, overgrazing and cultivation in the bed of the oued.

Additional information