Jabal Iraf (8365)
Yemen, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Jabal Iraf
Central coordinates: Latitude: 13.1330, Longitude: 44.2610
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1450 to 1680
Area of KBA (km2): 76.7871
Protected area coverage (%): 37.57
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
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. 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: Barleria hillcoatiae, Crotalaria squamigera.
Delineation rationale: 2009-01-05 (BL Secretariat): the polygon was defined roughly in Google Earth, according to the coordinates, site area and site description (altitude range, habitats and other features discernible in Google Earth), as given in the 1994 IBA book. 2013-07-10 (BL Secretariat): coordinates shifted and site extent of 2000 ha has been increased to 7700 ha (as measured in GIS from the most recent boundary polygon [created by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh], rounded to nearest 10%).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | forestry | rangeland/pastureland
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 7 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 7 | |
| Grassland | 50 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 7 | |
| Forest | 30 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Threats: the logging of Juniper is probably the greatest threat to this site, but the situation in the last decade is not known.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |