KW003
Ad-Doha Nature Reserve


Country/territory: Kuwait

IBA criteria met: B1i, B3 (1994)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 450 hectares (4.50 km2)

Kuwait Environment Protection Society
IBA conservation status
Year of assessment (most recent) State (condition) Pressure (threat) Response (action)
2013 not assessed low not assessed
For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here


Site description (1994 baseline)
A sandy sabkhah, some of which is flooded by exceptional tides, with salt-tolerant vegetation; associated intertidal mudflats are considered as part of site 005. Drainage water from a few nearby private chalets or an Entertainment Park flows across part of the site and supports 0.5 ha of Phragmites reedbed. The reserve is bisected by a public lane to the chalets, and within it there is also a major outlet for seawater coolant used by Doha power-stations. Previously the site was used at weekends for picnics and recreation.

Key biodiversity
See box for key species. The salt-tolerant vegetation provides a favoured roost site for waders, especially in winter and during migration seasons. Important January counts include Ardea cinerea (90), Recurvirostra avosetta (85) and Larus genei (900). About 70 species have been recorded; the site is not well-watched by local standards.

Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Acknowledgements
Data-sheet compiled by Prof. C. W. T. Pilcher.


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ad-Doha Nature Reserve (Kuwait). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ad-doha-nature-reserve-iba-kuwait on 27/12/2024.