Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Located in the eastern part of the Gulf of Tunis, to the west of Cap Bon, Zembra island is situated about 15 km west-north-west of the town of El Haouaria. It is a mountainous island rising to 435 m, and is a seaward extension of the Dorsale. The vegetation is Mediterranean maquis and a total of 230 plant species have been recorded, with
Olea europaea,
Pistacia lentiscus,
Arbutus unedo and
Erica multiflora as dominants. The vegetation of the small, neighbouring island of Zembretta is halophytic.
See Box for key species. Zembra holds the largest known breeding colony of
Calonectris diomedea in the Mediterranean Sea. The 9 km of cliffs of the island also hold 10 breeding pairs of
Falco peregrinus, one of the highest densities known for this species. Other breeding birds include
Larus audouinii (10 pairs),
Phalacrocorax aristotelis and
Larus cachinnans (100 pairs).
Non-bird biodiversity: The seal Monachus monachus (CR) was last recorded in 1975.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Zembra was declared a National Park in 1977. The site is also a Biosphere Reserve.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Archipel de Zembra (Tunisia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/archipel-de-zembra-iba-tunisia on 22/12/2024.
