Data Zone
Country/territory: Tunisia
IBA criteria met: A1 (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 150 hectares (1.50 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2001 | good | medium | very low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
Masri reservoir is, unlike the Cap Bon reservoirs, being constructed for water-supply to the national grid rather than local irrigation. It is situated quite high up in the Dorsale and flanked by mountains which reach 660 m, to the west of the town of Grombalia, south-east of Tunis. The shores are lined with vegetation composed mainly of Phragmites communis, Typha angustifolia and Juncus species. The mountain slopes are clothed in a forest of Tetraclinis articulata.
Key biodiversity
See Box for key species. Though the reservoir is small, it holds Oxyura leucocephala (10–50 pairs), while breeding species include Podiceps cristatus and Tachybaptus ruficollis. Wintering waterbirds include Aythya ferina and Fulica atra.
Non-bird biodiversity: The mammal Hyaena hyaena (LR/nt) has been recorded from the mountains around the site.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Barrage Masri (Tunisia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/barrage-masri-iba-tunisia on 22/12/2024.