Daymaniyat Islands (8221)
Oman, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, D1a
Year of last assessment: 1994
National site name: Juzor ad Daymaniyat
Central coordinates: Latitude: 23.8500, Longitude: 58.0833
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 30
Area of KBA (km2): 205.49647
Protected area coverage (%): 77.85
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A group of 13 islands extending westward from Jazirat ad Dimaniyah (23°50'N 58°10'E) to Jazirat Jun (23°50'N 57°59'E), in the Gulf of Oman north-west of As Seeb, with surrounding coral reefs, shoals and rocky outcrops. The islands themselves have a total area of less than 100 ha.
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. The second most important seabird breeding colonies in Oman after the Juzor al Halaaniyaat (site 024). Other breeding species include Phaethon aethereus (6–13 pairs; max. 32 birds offshore in July), Egretta gularis (6 pairs), Pandion haliaetus (min. 4 pairs), Sterna bergii (2+ pairs) and Anous stolidus (c.30 pairs; max. 200 birds offshore, May). Non-bird biodiversity: Reptiles: sea-turtles Eretmochelys imbricata (E) and Chelonia mydas (E) nest on beaches.
Delineation rationale: 2010-01-18 (BL Secretariat): international site name adjusted to match the gazetteer in: Eriksen, J. and Sargeant, D. E. (2000) Oman bird list, edition 5. Muscat: Oman Bird Records Committee (privately published).
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 5 | |
| Desert | 5 | |
| Marine Neritic | 90 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: General public access during the seabird and sea-turtle breeding season (May–October) is banned by order of the Diwan of Royal Court; licenses to visit are issued by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Environment. Guards are stationed on the largest island, but in spite of this overexploitation of seabird and sea-turtle eggs for food by fishermen continues to be a major problem, with resulting excessive disturbance of colonies. Visits by small boats for recreation are frequent (causing disturbance to breeding birds). Introduction of feral cats Felis is a critical threat. The site is a proposed National Nature Reserve.