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• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as important in 2017 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Western Reef-egret Egretta gularis	LC	non-breeding	2005-2017	50-200 individuals	B3a
Crab-plover Dromas ardeola	LC	breeding	2005-2017	500-1,400 breeding pairs	A4, B2a, B3a
Saunders's Tern Sternula saundersi	LC	breeding	2005-2017	10-20 breeding pairs	B2a

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2017) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2017. The most recent assessment (2017) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Charadrius mongolus	1,190	500	individuals	43	not assessed
Crab-plover Dromas ardeola	950	1,000	breeding pairs	100	favourable
Saunders's Tern Sternula saundersi	50	20	breeding pairs	40	not assessed
White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa	300	30	breeding pairs	10	not assessed

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	past (and unlikely to return) and no longer limiting	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Some of site covered (10-49%)	No management plan exists but the management planning process has begun	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	Abu al Abyadh island	Private Reserve	-

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		major (>10)
Marine Intertidal		major (>10)
Artificial/Terrestrial		minor (<10)
Forest	Subtropical & tropical mangrove	minor (<10)
Marine Neritic		minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	minor (<10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Abu Al Abyad Island (United Arab Emirates). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/abu-al-abyad-island-iba-united-arab-emirates on 23/11/2024.