Current view: Text account
Site description (2014 baseline):
Site location and context
The Atrush Area is the central and southern part of the delineation and includes diverse habitats, including a gorge, open land covered by poplar trees, and surrounding foothill woodlands. Bania (Sub-site D3C) is a mountainous area that includes the wooded and rocky valley to the north of the Atrush area. Deze and Balete villages lie near the Bedol stream that flows roughly north-south through the site. Near the center of the delineation (Atrush), where a smaller stream enters from the west, there are some archeological remains in a cliff overlooking the stream.
Additional Important Bird Observations: During the survey period, a total of 53 species was seen. European Roller Coracias garrulus (Near Threatened) was breeding though at a level that did not meet IBA thresholds. In addition the site had breeding populations of three Mediterranean and two Irano-Turanian biome-restricted species but these did not trigger inclusion under criterion A3.
Other Important Fauna: No mammal or reptile surveys were conducted but five important fish species were observed during the one fish survey that took place in 2008: Alburnus mossulensis, Leuciscus vorax, Luciobarbus xanthopterus, Carassius auratus, and Garra rufa.
Additional Plant & Habitat Information: Scleria ciliata and Stachus kermanshahensis were recorded for the first time in Iraq at Atrush. This site contains a good population of Pistacia eurycarpa, an economically and culturally important plant; Hordeum bulbosum, which is important as a genetic resource, and Anchusa italica, which is important as a traditional food.
The key habitats here are forest vegetation with oak forest and riverine woodland. The site is located in the Zagros range, where the geology is sandstones, clay, and sandy gravels and soil type is sandy clay. There was road construction near the site during the time of the survey. Agriculture includes vineyards, apple orchards and wheat fields. The Bania area also has some aquaculture (carp farm) activities. There is considerable local tourism and picnicking in the Atrush Area. Three sub-sites were surveyed in this area.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Agriculture, grazing and pollution from tourist and picnicking activities, as well as change in water management through ¬canalization and irrigation, adversely impact this site. However, four of the eight threat categories were assessed as medium, and no threat was assessed as very high.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Atrush and Bania Area (Iraq). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/atrush-and-bania-area-iba-iraq on 23/11/2024.
