Dwiyate (6494)
Morocco, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2016

National site name: Dwiyate

Central coordinates: Latitude: 34.0500, Longitude: -5.1167

Elevation (m): 380 to 400

Area of KBA (km²): 7.32857

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site consists of two adjacent water-bodies and surrounding land and covers a total of 750 ha, between altitudes 380 and 400 m. It is located 12 km from Fès, at the north-eastern extremity of the Plaine du Saïs. To the west, the site comprises a shallow, slightly brackish pond covering 10 ha, kept artificially filled by the site managers. It is bordered by a reedbed and some mixed woodland. The larger, eastern lake covers 60 ha and is dependent on rainfall to maintain its level, which therefore varies according to the season and year. The vegetation consists of indigenous Phragmites australis, Scirpus maritimus, Ruppia maritima, Carex sp. and Juncus sp. with introduced Cupressus sp., Pinus sp., Salix sp., Populus sp. and Tamarix sp. There is also some cereal and fruit cultivation, sometimes under glass. Annual precipitation is 540 mm.

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. The protected nature of the site—it is a ‘Domaine Royal’ with no public access—means that birds are largely undisturbed, and it is therefore of great importance to migrating waterfowl and other species. Around 180 species have been recorded, of which up to 80 are definite or potential breeders. Three other waterfowl species occur in good numbers, sometimes approaching threshold numbers: Anas clypeata (winter maximum 3,658 individuals in 1989); Glareola pratincola (normally between several dozens and a hundred wintering individuals; regular breeder with up to a maximum of a dozen pairs); and Tadorna ferruginea. Up to 20 Aythya nyroca have been recorded (in 1963) and Falco naumanni is a passage migrant. In addition, three species of the Mediterranean North Africa biome are present (see Table 2). Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | nature conservation and research

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is a protected ‘Domaine Royal’ in which hunting is prohibited, and is a priority 1 SIBE (No. H10). Recommended conservation measures include maintaining the protection of the western lake, fencing the eastern lake to prevent livestock access, formalizing the protection of the site by including it as a Moroccan Ramsar Site, and carrying out a study of the lake’s hydrobiology.

Additional information