Rud-i-Shur, Rud-i-Shirin and Rud-i-Minab deltas (8161)
Iran, Islamic Republic of, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 1994
National site name: Rud-i-Shur, Rud-i-Shirin and Rud-i-Minab deltas
Central coordinates: Latitude: 27.1333, Longitude: 56.8000
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 50
Area of KBA (km2): 267.98239
Protected area coverage (%): 93.70
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A 55 km stretch of coast along the Straits of Hormoz, c.10-70 km east of Bandar Abbas, incorporating three river deltas. The site includes extensive intertidal mudflats (over 1 km wide), significant stands of mangrove at the river mouths and along adjacent creeks, long sand beaches, low sandbars and sand spits, and two large shallow bays, Khor Tiab and Khor Kolahy, near the mouth of the Rud-i Minab in the east. The rivers flow only after erratic rainfall in the interior, usually in winter. The waters of the Rud-i-Shirin and Rud-i-Minab are fresh, but the Rud-i-Shur is somewhat brackish. Mangrove Avicennia marina occurs at the river mouths, and fringes the tidal creeks. The adjacent arid plain supports a sparse woodland of Acacia, Prosopis, Ziziphus and Tamarix with large areas of bare, sandy flats. Land ownership is public. There are a few small settlements, generally with date gardens. Fishing is important.
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: See box for key species. An extremely important wintering area for shorebirds and gulls, notably Haematopus ostralegus, Limosa lapponica, Numenius arquata and Larus cachinnans/L. argentatus. The site may also be important for breeding herons and egrets including Ardea goliath and Ardeola grayii. The adjacent plains and woodland have a typical Baluchi avifauna with several Indo-Malayan species at or near their western limit, notably Gyps bengalensis, Francolinus pondicerianus, Athene brama, Dendrocopos assimilis and Acridotheres tristis. Common winter visitors include Phylloscopus inornatus humei. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Habitats
Land use: forestry | nature conservation and research (100%) | rangeland/pastureland
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 32 | |
| Forest | 5 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 32 | |
| Desert | 32 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: There is no legal protection, though the area lies within a Ramsar Site (20,000 ha) designated in 1975. There is some cutting of mangrove for fuel and grazing by domestic livestock. There may be some pollution from the nearby port of Bandar Abbas, and oil pollution is a constant threat.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents | Oil spills | Only in the future |
Additional information
References: Carp (1980), Ramsar Convention Bureau (1993), Scott (1975b, 1976a,c), Summers et al. (1987).