Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The site is located on the southern side of the High Atlas a few kilometres east of the town of Ouarzazate. It consists of a large reservoir formed in 1972 by the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Oued Drâa, near the confluence of the Oued Dadès and the Oued Ouarzazate. The reservoir is also fed by many small temporary side-streams. Where these enter the lake, the water is relatively shallow and dense vegetation of
Cynodon dactylon,
Cyperus spp.,
Juncus spp.,
Phragmites australis and
Tamarix canariensis occurs. Elsewhere, the water depth drops off sharply, reaching 2–4 m deep only several metres from the rocky shore. Annual precipitation averages 1,500 mm.
See Box for key species. The site is chiefly notable for its populations of summer visitors, such as
Marmaronetta angustirostris and
Tadorna ferruginea, both of which exceed IBA thresholds. A few pairs of
Marmaronetta angustirostris have bred;
Tadorna ferruginea breeds regularly, but numbers of pairs are unknown. Wintering populations of waterfowl are small, although some 20 species have been recorded. The most abundant is
Tadorna ferruginea, with up to 400 individuals noted.
Non-bird biodiversity: The toad Bufo brongersmai, a Moroccan endemic, occurs.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The reservoir is a priority 2 SIBE (No. H42). It is public land, administered by AEFCS and the Service des Travaux Publics. Human activities include fishing, livestock-grazing and reed-cutting around the reservoir’s shores. The main threat is discharge of wastewater from the town of Ouarzazate into the eastern end of the reservoir, and consequent organic and chemical pollution. Nesting birds are also subject to human disturbance and poaching near the western end of the lake. Recommended measures include the protection of this nesting zone by the restriction of access during the breeding season, perhaps entailing fencing off the area.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Barrage al Mansour Ad-Dhabi (Morocco). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/barrage-al-mansour-ad-dhabi-iba-morocco on 23/12/2024.
