Jabal Qaha - Lajib gorge (8285)
Saudi Arabia, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, B1
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Jabal Qaha - Lajib gorge
Central coordinates: Latitude: 17.5810, Longitude: 42.9290
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1800 to 2000
Area of KBA (km2): 707.2411
Protected area coverage (%): 80.31
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A rugged mountain with an extensive summit plateau of sedimentary rock at c.1,800-2,000 m, c.80 km south-south-east of Abha. Just to the south is the very deep, steep-sided Lajb gorge. There was apparently thriving Juniperus woodland on the plateau until a series of drought years in the 1960s killed off most of the trees, which have been left standing however. The main human activities are livestock grazing and small-scale terraced agriculture.
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. KBA identified in the process of compiling the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the East Afromontane Hotspot. Species taxonomy and threat category was based on IUCN Red List 2010-4. The site holds a significant population of the following plant species which, although not yet Red-List-assessed at the global level, are endemic to the Hotspot (those with particularly restricted ranges are tagged with Irr1, i.e. meeting the KBA Irreplaceability 1 criterion) and may be categorised as globally threatened once assessed (thus meeting the KBA Vulnerability criterion), based on existing regional or national Red List assessments: Albuca pendula, Peucedanum inaccessum (Irr1).
Additional biodiversity: The site has been little investigated, but there is known to be an important population of the isolated endemic race Pica pica asirensis (at least 30 pairs), and many of the other high-altitude south-west Arabian endemics presumably also occur. Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals: Panthera pardus (rare; possibly extinct).
Delineation rationale: 2009-10-12 (BL Secretariat): digitization in Google Earth was straightforward (mountain massif is fairly distinct); published (1994) coordinates were shifted slightly, to centre of polygon. 2013-07-10 (BL Secretariat): coordinates adjusted and site extent of 3750 ha has been increased to 21,000 ha (as measured in GIS from the most recent boundary polygon [created by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh], rounded to nearest 10%). 2014-01-28 (BL Secretariat): adopted polygon of PA proposed by SWC, thus increased site area to xxx ha.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | rangeland/pastureland
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 5 | |
| Forest | 5 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 45 | |
| Shrubland | 45 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site was only recently discovered, and there is an urgent need for surveys to investigate conservation values, threats and needs. It is not known how the death of most or all of the juniper trees actually affected the population of Pica pica, since all ornithological and botanical investigations occurred only after the die-off, but the current habitat seems to be highly attractive to Pica pica, which occurs at high densities.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing |
Additional information
Contributors: Data-sheet compiled by A. Stagg and P. Symens.