Ra's as Sawadi - Juzor as Sawadi (8222)
Oman, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 1994
National site name: Ra's as Sawadi - Juzor as Sawadi
Central coordinates: Latitude: 23.7833, Longitude: 57.8000
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 30
Area of KBA (km2): 10.05831
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A headland north-west of As Seeb, with a khawr and a beach, and sandbars and a group of eight islands offshore. Extensive mudflats occur in the khawr, and the headland is surrounded by sabkha and flat, sandy terrain. There are important archaeological sites of settlement on the two largest islands, more than 4,000 years old.
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)
Additional biodiversity: See box for key species. The islands are an important site for breeding Falco concolor. Other island-breeding species include Egretta gularis (c.25 pairs) and Pandion haliaetus (at least 2 pairs). The mudflats hold fair numbers of wintering and passage waterbirds, especially roosting gulls and terns (Laridae). Non-bird biodiversity: There are some high quality coral reefs around the islands.
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Desert | 5 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 90 | |
| Marine Neritic | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site (including the islands) is a very popular recreation spot; people can wade across to the islands at low tide, and excessive disturbance of nesting birds is a critical problem: the increasing number of visitors threatens the survival of the nesting colonies of Egretta gularis and Falco concolor, whose nests are destroyed or their eggs taken by fishermen. Building development is encroaching on the mainland. The area is a proposed National Scenic Reserve.