Archipel de la Galite (6918)
Tunisia, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Archipel de la Galite
Central coordinates: Latitude: 37.5333, Longitude: 8.9333
Elevation (m): 0 to 391
Area of KBA (km2): 81.43767
Protected area coverage (%): 86.84
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Galite archipelago is situated 40 km off the coast of Tunisia, 45 km north-west of Cap Serrat and 64 km north-east of the town of Tabarka. The archipelago is dominated by the T-shaped main island of Galite (650 ha), which is 5.4 km long and c.950 m wide at the narrowest point and 2.5 km at the widest. About 2.5 km to the south-west of Galite is the low-lying islet of La Fauchelle (14 ha). The islet of Galiton lies only 50 m west of La Fauchelle, has an area of 27 ha and is topped by a lighthouse. A trio of small islets, the Ilôts de Chiens, lie 1.6 km north of Galite. The largest of these is less than 9 ha, but reaches an altitude of 119 m. Much of Galite is covered by ‘diss’, Ampelodesma mauritanicus, a low grass that grows densely on hills. Elsewhere, the maquis vegetation grows so densely in places, particularly in valleys in the north-west of Galite, as to be impenetrable. Dominant species include Pistacia lentiscus, Olea europaea, Tamarix africana, Laurus nobilis, Rosmarinus officinalis, Scilla maritima, Cynara scolymus and Ceratonia siliqua.
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 and Table 2 for key species. Breeding species include Larus audouinii (40 pairs), as well as Calonectris diomedea (fewer than 100 pairs), Phalacrocorax aristotelis (10 pairs), Larus cachinnans (500 pairs), Falco peregrinus and F. tinnunculus. Non-bird biodiversity: The seal Monachus monachus (CR) used to occur, but has not been seen since 1986. The scorpion Euscorpus flavicaudis, confined to a number of Mediterranean islands, is present.
Delineation rationale: 2017-11-06 (BL Secretariat): IBA/KBA boundary has been extended offshore as part of the CEPF Mediterranean re-profiling exercise (2016).
Habitats
Land use: hunting
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 24 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 24 | |
| Shrubland | 5 | |
| Grassland | 24 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 24 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is likely to be declared a National Park. The seas surrounding the archipelago are a Marine Reserve.
Additional information
References: Association Les Amis des Oiseaux and Medmaravis (1995), Association Les Amis des Oiseaux (2000), Azafzaf (2000), Gaultier (1977), Ministère de l’Agriculture, Direction Générale des Forêts (2000), Ministère de l’Environnement et de l’Aménagement du Territoire (1999), Nouira (1995), Oueslati (1995).