Aden (8366)
Yemen, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1c
Year of last assessment: 1994
National site name: Aden
Central coordinates: Latitude: 12.8017, Longitude: 44.8867
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 540
Area of KBA (km2): 188.78083
Protected area coverage (%): 17.43
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
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.
Delineation rationale: Type 1 marine IBA: suitable for the seaward extension approach. Type 2 marine IBA: non-breeding (coastal) congregations. 2009-01-05 (BL Secretariat): the polygon follows the map in the report by Porter & Al-Saghier (1996), incorporating Abyan beach, the Harbour wetlands, the high peaks and any other features (important for IBA trigger species) that are mentioned in the 1994 site description; the polygon extends c. 200 m offshore, but includes much larger areas of shallow sea in the harbours/bays, and excludes built-up areas and lower slopes of the mountains; the 1994 coordinates lie outside this polygon, so have been shifted to its centre.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The Aden wetlands comprise: Al Haswa Natural Protected Area. A large area of grazing marsh and pools at the edge of Aden Harbour. Reserve established in 2008. Co-ordinates: 12.8315/44.97017. c50 ha of pools, flooded marsh (grazed by sheep and cattle). Typha reeds and Prosopis juliflora woodland created through run-off of treated effluent. Might be threatened by future port expansion and change of sewage treatment regime. Intertidal flats: extensive mudflats covered by tide twice daily. Aden lagoons: four large lagoons on the east side of the Aden Causeway Abyan beach: long stretch of sandy beach, regularly disturbed, being much used for recreation. Aden Sewage treatment works: concrete lagoons for the treatment of sewage effluent.
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | rangeland/pastureland | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Desert | 85 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Artificial - Aquatic | 5 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Threats: Might be threatened by future port expansion and change of sewage treatment regime; impacted by floating rubbish, especially plastic. The managers have engineered it so that almost all of the water is channelled to a region that is far from where the people are allowed to go though this is not necessarily a bad thing. Abyan Beach and the Causeway are also important for birds as are the sewage lagoons. Al Hiswah has not been properly studied for accumulation of heavy metals and toxins so we really don't know the effects these might pose to the bird populations there.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Ongoing |