King Faisal Airbase, Tabuk (8257)
Saudi Arabia, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 1994
National site name: King Faisal Airbase, Tabuk
Central coordinates: Latitude: 28.3650, Longitude: 36.6767
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 750 to 800
Area of KBA (km2): 1.73762
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Sewage settling lagoons within the airbase which support large reedbeds Phragmites, though these are subject to cutting and burning. The lagoons are bordered partly by sand and scrub desert, partly by areas with irrigated trees (mainly Eucalyptus), shrubs and grass. About 10 km from the base and c.5 km from Military City is a reservoir of c.100 ha in an area of desert bordered by military training grounds. The Tabuk area, surrounded on three sides by mountains, was formerly desert but is now intensively cultivated.
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. Breeding birds of the sewage lagoons include Ixobrychus minutus (possible), Rallus aquaticus, Porzana parva, P. pusilla (possible), Charadrius dubius, Acrocephalus stentoreus and Rhodopechys obsoleta (10-15 pairs). The importance of the reservoir is not yet known as it has been visited only twice, in March and April 1990, when birds present included grebes, c.1,000 ducks, c.700 Fulica atra, waders and c.400 Chlidonias leucopterus. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Delineation rationale: 2009-10-12 (BL Secretariat): Difficult to identify both the water-treatment pools and the reservoir (the former may have disappeared or been replaced); coordinates shifted to the apparent water-treatment pools.
Habitats
Land use: military | rangeland/pastureland | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 35 | |
| Desert | 60 | |
| Artificial - Aquatic | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The area is not protected, but is within a military zone and as such receives some unintended protection from disturbance and hunting. It seems likely that the sewage system will eventually be upgraded, and the lagoons may well then disappear. Part of the site is included in the NCWCD System Plan for Protected Areas.
Additional information
References: Stagg (1989).