Jebel Marra (6806)
Sudan, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2001

National site name: Jebel Marra

Central coordinates: Latitude: 13.0667, Longitude: 24.3500

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 1500 to 3071

Area of KBA (km²): 1135.65841

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Jebel Marra is an extinct volcano which rises out of the plains of Darfur between the town of El Fasher and the international frontier with Chad. The lower slopes have some tree cover while in the centre of the crater lie two lakes surrounded by rolling hills covered with grass and bushes. The site is surrounded by rocky desert and sparse scrub dissected by a series of wadis.

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. In addition to Falco naumanni, which occurs in significant numbers, Circus macrourus and Aythya nyroca have also been recorded on passage. Five species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome (A04) have also been recorded (see Table 2). Non-bird biodiversity: The site is known to support an endemic flora. The tree Olea chrysophylla occurs, one of only two sites in Sudan from which it is known.

Habitats

Land use: agriculture

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Artificial - Terrestrial	100

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site has been proposed as a Natural Conservation Area. The vegetation of the massif is becoming degraded as a result of overgrazing and clearance for fuelwood.

Additional information