Gezira (6804)
Sudan, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Gezira
Central coordinates: Latitude: 14.5000, Longitude: 33.1667
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 410 to 410
Area of KBA (km2): 12447.93022
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Gezira is a large area of flood-plain between the Blue and White Niles to the south of Khartoum. The area is intensively farmed and—particularly along the western bank of the Blue Nile south-eastwards to the town of Wad Medani and beyond—is criss-crossed with networks of irrigation channels.
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. The site is important for wintering and passage waterbirds. It is likely that at least 20,000 waterbirds occur during most northern winters. Counts of 1,000 Anas querquedula, 3,000 Philomachus pugnax and 1,000 Glareola pratincola were made at single localities during the winters of 1959–1962. Other counts include up to 2,000 Ciconia ciconia. Birds forage widely across the grass plains while some congregate in large roosts, particularly on sandbanks in the Blue Nile at Wad Medani. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 48 | |
| Grassland | 34 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 16 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is intensely cultivated. Although the site is important despite, or perhaps because of, current land-use practices, there are some threats. These include excessive disturbance, hunting and increased use of pesticides.
Additional information
References: Ledant et al. (1985)