Khawr ad Dahariz (8243)
Oman, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 1994
National site name: Khawr ad Dahariz
Central coordinates: Latitude: 17.0167, Longitude: 54.1833
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 10
Area of KBA (km2): 0.99809
Protected area coverage (%): 77.80
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A long (c.2 km), thin coastal lagoon by Salalah town, broadening inland and fed by substantial but variable freshwater inflow from Wadi Sahnut. A gravel road crosses the sandbar which separates the lagoon from the sea, though this is still sometimes breached. The water surface is partly open, with the margins mostly rocky and lined with dense Phragmites, Juncus and sedges, but also with some open, sandy, grassy banks. The east side is busy with sardine-drying activity, and the site is surrounded by developed or fenced land. The marginal vegetation is heavily browsed by camels.
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. Other notable wintering species include Bubulcus ibis (64), Ardea cinerea (75), Circus aeruginosus (5) and Larus ridibundus (1,100). Other notable passage migrants include Aquila clanga (6, March), Pluvialis fulva (80, March) and Calidris alba (300, April). A total of 189 species has been recorded, including a very wide variety of waterbirds. Non-bird biodiversity: Flora: at least three species on the Salalah coastal plain are endemic or near-endemic to Oman, and some may be present at this site.
Delineation rationale: Type 2 marine IBA: non-breeding (coastal) congregations.
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | rangeland/pastureland | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 50 | |
| Marine Neritic | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Encroachment from road-widening and pipe- and track-laying, and pollution from sewage and other waste, have occurred locally in the past. The area is a proposed National Nature Reserve.