Abdullah Gharib lagoons (8357)
Yemen, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 1994
National site name: Abdullah Gharib lagoons
Central coordinates: Latitude: 16.3500, Longitude: 52.3500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 5
Area of KBA (km2): 10.27603
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Situated 20 km north-east of Al-Ghayda, these large coastal lagoons lie either side of the village of Abdullah Gharib.
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: An important feeding and roosting area for gulls and terns, and to a lesser extent waders. See table for key species; smaller numbers of other terns occur, notably Sterna caspia. This coast attracts very large numbers of migrant gulls Larus in autumn, with 30,000 (80% L. fuscus) counted along 50 km in November. Non-bird biodiversity: No information.
Delineation rationale: Type 2 marine IBA: non-breeding (coastal) congregations. 2009-01-05 (BL Secretariat): the polygon encloses the lagoons nearest to Abdullah Gharib, as well as intervening strips of coast, and extends c. 200 m offshore, as well as 100 m inland (to give some space/refuge to beach-roosting waterbirds); the 1994 site area of 50 ha was clearly too small to fit this polygon, so has been doubled to approximately 100 ha.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The lagoons are separated from the sea by sand-dunes, surrounded by extensive fringes of saline mud, and set in a dusty sand and gravel plain with a poor cover of salt-tolerant plants.
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 5 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 95 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The only likely threat to the sites is excessive disturbance of birds by human activity.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Only in the future |