The site comprises a series of alluvial plains north of the town of Kairouan, bounded by the small towns of Sbikha and Alam. The vegetation is a mixture of halophytes such as Arthrocnemum and Salicornia together with Stipa tenacissima grassland with Artemisia herba-alba and, more rarely, Rhus tripartitum and Lycium arabicum.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 2 for key species. The three Sahara–Sindian biome species include Pterocles coronatus, this being the only IBA from which the species has been recorded. Other species occurring at the site include Falco biarmicus and Pterocles orientalis. The site is also the northernmost known locality in Tunisia at which Chlamydotis undulata has been recorded breeding.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Threats include conversion of parts of the site into olive-groves, overgrazing and hunting.
