Habbaniya Lake (8036)
Iraq, Middle East

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2015

National site name: Habbaniya Lake

Central coordinates: Latitude: 33.1967, Longitude: 43.4605

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 43 to 65

Area of KBA (km²): 454.01507

KBA classification: Regional

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site lies just south of the Euphrates between Ramadi and Felluja, 85 km west of Baghdad. Haur Al Habbaniya is a storage reservoir used to control floods on the Euphrates. There is an intake channel at its west end near Ramadi, and water is discharged back into the river during August-October through the Dhibban channel which has vertical sides c.30 m high, cut through the gypsum plateau separating the lake from the river. In addition, a third channel at the south end discharges any excess water into the Bahr Al Milh. The lake's water level thus varies annually by c.6 m, being highest from about the end of April to August and lowest in November-March, when extensive mudflats are exposed at the Ramadi end of the lake where there are also marshes. Most of the above information dates from the 1950s. 2014 update. Habbaniya Lake is located southeast of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Governorate, and west of Baghdad. It is one of the largest water reservoirs in Iraq constructed in 1982 and Evans (1994) included it in the original list of Important Bird Areas (IBA016). It receives excess floodwaters from the Euphrates in the summer through a small canal near Ramadi called Sin Al-Dhuban. The canal passes through Al-Saglawiya and the calcareous Al-Guss hills, which separate the canal from Habbaniya. The excess floodwaters drain out on the southern edge of the lake through the narrow Al-Majarah Canal, which drains to Bahar Al-Milih and the northern part of Razzaza Lake (IQ058) in Karbala Governorate.

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.

Additional biodiversity: Sterna hirundo and S. albifrons breed on islands formed during periods of high water levels, and Cursorius cursor, Merops superciliosus and Pycnonotus leucotis breed in the surrounding area (see also below). Large numbers of Platalea leucorodia (200) have occurred in winter. A wide selection of waders, gulls and terns uses the area on passage. Counts of wintering waterfowl have included 300 Anser anser, 84 Tadorna ferruginea and 30 Mergellus albellus, and Grus grus is common. Haur Al Habbaniya was listed as a wetland of international importance by Carp (1980). Non-bird biodiversity: No information available to BirdLife International. 2014 update. Additional Important Bird Observations: During the surveys, a total of 49 species was recorded. The site also held breeding populations of four Sahara-Sindian Desert biome-restricted species but these did not trigger inclusion under criterion A3. Other Important Fauna: One adult Rüppell's Fox Vulpes rueppelli was observed crossing the road that leads to the site near Al-Angoor Village. Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastycs aegyptia and Desert Cobra Walterinnesia morgani were observed. Fish: Data were collected from interviews alone in the winter of 2009 because high winds did not allow fishermen to go out. Six species were reported. Important species, according to Coad (2010) were: Acanthobrama marmid, Alburnus mossulensis, Leuciscus vorax, Carasobarbus luteus, Liza abu, and Luciobarbus xanthopterus.

Habitats

Summary of habitats in KBA: The main habitat is the lake itself and its wide, muddy shoreline. While, no botanical survey was conducted at the site; species of Phragmites sp., Typha sp, Achillea sp, Artemeisia sp, Acacia sp and Alhagi sp were the most widely distributed plants. There is a small elevation gain near the southern edge of the lake, and semi-desert forms the eastern and southwestern front of the lake with xeric and halophytic desert vegetation. The shore is widely exposed during the winter-time when the water levels are reduced to their minimum level. A few wetlands with submerged aquatic vegetation were observed near the Al-Majarah water regulation canal, including a limited number of reed beds. The village of Al-Angoor is located on the southwestern edge of Habbaniya and contains a few people who mainly practice fishing. The Habbaniyah tourism village is one of the most significant landmarks, located on the southeast edge of the lake. The habitat around this area features some dense shrubs and thickets.

Land use: water management (100%)

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Artificial - Aquatic	100

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: No conservation measures are known to have been taken. In the 1950s it was apparently proposed to raise the level by 2 m, which would have endangered nesting sites of terns. There are no known proposals for conservation measures. 2014 updates. Water shortages are causing an increase in salinity and water stagnation and reduced quality are affecting some parts of the lake. The Habbaniya tourism village is considered to be the main human factor that highly impacts the local environment especially as the survey team witnessed new efforts at rehabilitation of the area by the Anbar authorities during 2011. Summer sees the highest number of visitors and the most serious impact to the site, with large quantities of solid waste such as cans, plastic containers and bags left behind, which spread rapidly throughout the site and are carried by water currents to the lake edges. Several small villages on the southern and eastern edges of the lake deposit sewage and other waste into the lake. Hunting and trapping of wildlife especially for large mammals, game birds, and raptors such as Saker Falcon and Peregrine Falcon during winter is another high threat (Al-Sheikhly, 2012). Land near Habbaniya is also used as an air force base. The frequent training flights result in widespread noise pollution and other environmental impacts sufficient to disturb and harm both resident and migrant species. Agricultural expansion represented by small annual crop farms is limited and restricted to the northern and northwestern edge of the site, but was evaluated as a medium threat as well as a few villages and urban areas at the western edge of the site near Al-Angoor.

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

Additional information

References: Chapman and McGeoch (1956). 2014 updates. Al-Sheikhly, O.F. (2012). The hunting of endangered mammals in Iraq. Wildlife Middle East (6):2&3:10. Coad, B.W. (2010). Freshwater Fishes of Iraq. PENSOFT Publishers, Sofia-Moscow. No. 93. Evans, M. I. (1994). Important Bird Areas in the Middle East. Birdlife Conservation Series No. 2.