North coastal plain: airport to Di Selmeho / Ghubbah (Socotra) (8371)
Yemen, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B1
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: North coastal plain: airport to Di Selmeho / Ghubbah (Socotra)
Central coordinates: Latitude: 12.6167, Longitude: 53.8667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 10
Area of KBA (km2): 41.76812
Protected area coverage (%): 98.41
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.
Additional biodiversity: An important breeding area for Cream-coloured Coursers, Saunders’s Terns (c200 pairs) and marine turtles.
Delineation rationale: 2008-12-11 (BL Secretariat): Based on the site area of 200 ha (1994 IBA book), a 5-km long and 400-m wide strip was drawn along the coast (50 m offshore, 350 m onshore), centred at the centroid coordinates (1994), and encompassing the dune system and associated halophytic (salt-tolerant) shrubland.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Coastal dunes, flats and grazed land with patches of dwarf shrubland dominated by Zygophyllum, Suaeda and Pulicaria (which occupies an area of c30 km2) and is the habitat in which the cisticola occurs.
Land use: rangeland/pastureland | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 5 | |
| Shrubland | 95 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Threats: coastal development; overgrazing
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Ongoing |