Ghidma (6959)
Tunisia, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1d

Year of last assessment: 2001

National site name: Ghidma

Central coordinates: Latitude: 33.4333, Longitude: 8.8000

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 20 to 40

Area of KBA (km²): 0.64023

Protected area coverage (%): 21.51

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: This semi-permanent wetland is situated 15 km west of Douz, 5 km from Douz Laâla (TN040), and consists of a depression holding brackish water. It is bordered to the east by the Ghidma oasis and by sand-dunes to the west and south. The site is fed with water by drainage from the nearby oases, and possibly from freshwater springs. Water depth varies from 1 m in winter to less than 30 cm in summer. Phragmites communis and Tamarix africana are found along the shores, and it has some of the densest vegetation of any of the Djerid oases.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.

Additional biodiversity: See Box for key species. Ghidma—like Sebkhet Nouaïel (site TN039), Douz Laâla (TN040) and Snam (TN041)—is a small wetland adjoining the small oases near the Chott Djerid south of Kebili. These wetlands (often called ‘guelta’ rather than ‘sebkha’ by local people) are normally small and situated just outside the oases. They are fed by run-off of artesian, fairly saline, oasis-water after it has been used for irrigation. In some cases, this artesian water is apparently supplemented by local springs, so that the water is fresher and the vegetation thicker, and water may last throughout the summer; in most however, the water evaporates and the site becomes dry in summer. These sites are very important nationally for wintering waterbird populations: in particular, it seems that the Tunisian breeding population of Marmaronetta angustirostris winters in these oasis sites, together with good numbers of Aythya nyroca, Plegadis falcinellus, and a variety of waders, notably such species as Charadrius dubius, Tringa glareola and Philomachus pugnax, which generally cross the Sahara in winter. The sites are of major importance in spring for northward-moving trans-Saharan migrants of all kinds, which need food and drink after their desert crossing. In some years, especially wet ones, the sites may also be of importance for breeding species, including Tadorna ferruginea and Marmaronetta angustirostris. In addition, six species of the Sahara–Sindian biome have been recorded in and around these small wetlands (see Table 2).Ghidma is a particularly good example of this kind of wetland. It is a breeding site for Tadorna ferruginea and Fulica atra. Other waterbirds include Casmerodius albus, Ardea purpurea, Himantopus himantopus, Gallinula chloropus, Charadrius dubius and C. alexandrinus. Non-bird biodiversity: Both the ungulates Gazella dorcas (VU) and Gazella leptoceros (EN) have been recorded.

Habitats

Land use: hunting

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is privately owned and unprotected. Hunting of waterbirds and sandgrouse Pterocles, the cutting of reeds for making animal shelters and invasion by sand are the main threats.

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)	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources	Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases	Unspecified species	Ongoing
Climate change & severe weather	Temperature extremes		Only in the future

Additional information