Jbel el Haouaria (6921)
Tunisia, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Jbel el Haouaria
Central coordinates: Latitude: 37.0615, Longitude: 11.0432
Elevation (m): 0 to 393
Area of KBA (km2): 13.57472
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Djebel el Haouaria is situated on the northern point of the Cap Bon peninsula in the extreme north-east of the country. The low peak (393 m) of El Haouaria is the northernmost mountain at the end of the Dorsale range. It supports a Mediterranean maquis vegetation of Olea europaea, Pistacia lentiscus, Myrtus communis and Cistus monspeliensis.
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. Birds which have wintered in Africa and are moving back to breeding grounds in Europe concentrate here for the short sea-crossing to Sicily, particularly large, soaring birds which avoid long sea-crossings. The site is comparable in importance to Gibraltar and the Bosphorus. Annually between March–May some 20,000–40,000 raptors of 24 species, including Circus macrourus and Falco naumanni overfly the site, as do significant numbers of Ciconia ciconia, C. nigra, Grus grus, Asio otus, Asio flammeus, Otus scops, Coturnix coturnix and Oriolus oriolus. Raptors breeding on the cliffs include Buteo rufinus cirtensis, Falco peregrinus, F. biarmicus and F. tinnunculus. Non-bird biodiversity: Djebel el Haouaria hosts one of the most important colonies of bats in Tunisia, including Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum (LR/cd).
Habitats
Land use: hunting | nature conservation and research
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Intertidal | 5 | |
| Shrubland | 48 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 48 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is protected as a Hunting Reserve and the cave used by the bats has been declared a Natural Reserve. There was a long tradition of bird-catching by local people at El Haouaria; large birds such as raptors were caught for food, using clap-nets on the side of the mountain, while Accipiter nisus were trapped and trained to catch migratory Coturnix coturnix; passerines were caught to feed the captive Accipter nisus. In the 1970s, the catching of raptors was stopped, largely as a result of the efforts of the A.A.O., falconry with A. nisus was brought under strict control, and a falconry festival instituted in May each year.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Only in the past and unlikely to return |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Persecution/control | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Azafzaf (1995), Gaultier (1987a, 1988a), Hein and Kisling (1994), Ministère de l’Agriculture, Direction Générale des Forêts (2000), Thiollay (1975, 1977), Thomsen and Jacobsen (1979).