Data Zone
Country/territory: Qatar
IBA Criteria met: B1i (1994)
For more information about IBA criteria please click here
Area: 3,000 ha
Protection status:
| Most recent IBA monitoring assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | Threat score (pressure) | Condition score (state) | Action score (response) |
| 2013 | high | not assessed | not assessed |
| For more information about IBA monitoring please click here | |||
Site description
A sheltered set of bays adjacent to the town of Al-Dhakira, with dense stands of mangrove Avicennia marina (c.1,000 ha or less), broad mudflats (tidal amplitude is less than 2 m) and saltmarsh vegetation. The bay is largely protected from open sea to the east by a spit. Longshore drift is north to south. Possibly an important spawning and nursery area for economically valuable fish and shrimp stocks. Some artisanal fishing occurs, and the mangrove is grazed by camels.
Key biodiversity
The site has not yet been comprehensively surveyed, but it may be important for wintering or passage waterbirds, including Platalea leucorodia (max. 22), Phoenicopterus ruber (max. 'low hundreds'), duck (max. 'low hundreds'), and, offshore, Sterna anaethetus (max. 'low hundreds').
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2020) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Al-Dhakira mangrove. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 04/12/2020.
