Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The site comprises a lightly wooded, hilly region in the south-east of the country next to the border with Ethiopia. The majority of the site is sparsely vegetated with low (4–5 m)
Acacia spp
. and seasonal herbaceous cover; vegetation is denser in the many small wadis, with occasional large
Ficus trees. There are settlements at Ali Addé and Assâmo, with small gardens cultivated in the wadi at Assâmo. The whole site is used for livestock-grazing; the human population has been greatly augmented in recent years by several thousand refugees from Somalia.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. Six of the Somali–Masai biome species are only known in Djibouti from this site. In addition, two Sahara–Sindian species and one Sahel biome species have also been recorded (see Table 2). The red-tailed
Pytilia melba soudanensis occurs here, replacing the taxonomically indeterminate yellow-tailed form that has been seen in sites DJ001 and DJ002.
Buteo augur also occurs and
Circaetus gallicus has been recorded wintering.
Non-bird biodiversity: Among mammals, the only Djibouti records of Dorcatragus megalotis (VU) are from two locations within the site, while Papio hamadryas (LR/nt), Litocranius walleri (LR/cd) and the tree Dracaena ombet (EN) also occur.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Overgrazing and firewood-collection are both long-term problems, which are likely to have been exacerbated by the influx of refugees from Somalia.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ali Sabieh - Assâmo (Djibouti). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ali-sabieh--assâmo-iba-djibouti on 23/12/2024.
