Arâguîb el Jahfa (6631)
Mauritania, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2001

National site name: Arâguîb el Jahfa

Central coordinates: Latitude: 19.8333, Longitude: -14.3333

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 350 to 500

Area of KBA (km²): 535.47929

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: This is an area of rocky outcrops 20 km north of the town of Akjoujt. The main road between Nouakchott and the tourist destination of the Adrar runs right through Arâguîb el Jahfa. It is an area of steep cliffs intersected by ravines. There are numerous wells on the plains between the outcrops as well as many sand-filled wadis. The vegetation provides a rich source of pasture for mobile animal herds and plants typical of the area include Tamarix sp., Acacia raddiana, Capparis decidua, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Maerua crassifolia, Salvadora persica, Balanites aegyptiaca and Panicum turgidum.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)

Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 2 for key species. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Delineation rationale: 2014-03-11 (BL Secretariat): a site area of 53548 ha was calculated by GIS from the site polygon, then rounded to the nearest 10% (54000 ha).

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | urban/industrial/transport

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	100

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: There is no information but, as it is located on the main road and just north of the expanding urban area of Akjoujt, it is likely that pressures on the area are increasing.

Additional information