Lagune de Khnifiss (6517)
Morocco, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2016

National site name: Lagune de Khnifiss

Central coordinates: Latitude: 27.9106, Longitude: -12.2249

Elevation (m): 0 to 50

Area of KBA (km²): 1655.09395

Protected area coverage (%): 98.81

KBA classification: Regional

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The Lagune de Khnifiss is located on the Atlantic coast between Tarfaya and Tan Tan Plage in the south of the country. It is a long, narrow inlet, several hundred metres wide and extending for 20 km, lying roughly parallel to the coast, but separated from it to the west by a line of dunes. To the east it is bounded by a row of sandstone cliffs c.50 m high, formed from ancient consolidated dunes. The lagoon is open to the sea at its mouth, known as Foum Agouitir, and is therefore tidal. At its furthest extent inland it opens out into a large saltpan, Sebkha Tazra, which is only flooded during the highest tides. The lagoon vegetation consists of saltmarsh and seagrasses while the bordering cliffs support low shrubs of semi-desert. The most important habitats for birds are the mudflats and sandbanks exposed at low tide.

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 Lagune de Khnifiss is a vital stop-over site on the Atlantic coastal flyway for migrating Palearctic waders, waterfowl and seabirds, and is considered to be the third most important wintering site for waders in Morocco, after Merja Zerga (site MA010) and the Baie d’Ad-Dakhla (site MA045). It regularly holds more than 20,000 waders, including up to 14,000 Calidris alpina. Seven species are known to exceed IBA threshold levels, including (probably) Larus audouinii (CD). In total more than 170 species have been recorded, of which almost one third breed. The most notable breeding species are Tadorna ferruginea, Phalacrocorax aristotelis, P. carbo, Larus genei and Sterna hirundo; the lagoon is the only known Moroccan breeding site for the last two species. Non-bird biodiversity: The site holds two of Morocco’s six endemic mammals, Gerbillus occiduus and Crocidura tarfayaensis, as well as one endemic amphibian Bufo brongersmai and one endemic lizard Tarentola boehmi.

Delineation rationale: Type 2 marine IBA: non-breeding (coastal) congregations.

Habitats

Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is public land. It was designated as a Réserve Naturelle by ministerial decree on 3/11/1962 and reclassified as a Réserve Biologique Permanente, again by ministerial decree, on 3/06/1983. It was nominated a Ramsar Site in 1980, and was classed as a priority 1 coastal SIBE (No. L36), to which the limits of the IBA correspond. Human activities include fishing, salt-harvesting and ecotourism. Near Foum Agouitir there is a permanently manned civil-guard post which confers a degree of protection on the site. The main potential threat is the proposed exploitation of oil-bearing shales in the region. The effective implementation of a proper management plan is urgently required.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Energy production & mining	Oil & gas drilling		Only in the future

Additional information