Plaines de Kairouan (6936)
Tunisia, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Plaines de Kairouan
Central coordinates: Latitude: 35.8833, Longitude: 10.1167
Elevation (m): 65 to 65
Area of KBA (km2): 13.88957
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site comprises a series of alluvial plains north of the town of Kairouan, bounded by the small towns of Sbikha and Alam. The vegetation is a mixture of halophytes such as Arthrocnemum and Salicornia together with Stipa tenacissima grassland with Artemisia herba-alba and, more rarely, Rhus tripartitum and Lycium arabicum.
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) 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. The three Sahara–Sindian biome species include Pterocles coronatus, this being the only IBA from which the species has been recorded. Other species occurring at the site include Falco biarmicus and Pterocles orientalis. The site is also the northernmost known locality in Tunisia at which Chlamydotis undulata has been recorded breeding. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 50 | |
| Shrubland | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Threats include conversion of parts of the site into olive-groves, overgrazing and hunting.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Gaultier (1988a), Hamrouni (1992), Nabli (1989).