Data Zone
The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2008 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting IBA criteria.
Populations meeting IBA criteria ('key species') at the site:| Species | Red List | Season (year/s of estimate) | Size | IBA criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A4iv Species group - soaring birds/cranes | n/a | passage (2006–2007) | 2,500-9,999 individuals | B1iv |
Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2008. The most recent assessment (2008) is shown below.
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2008 | near favourable | medium | not assessed |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| no | population | - | |
| State (condition of the key species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Actual vs Reference (units) | % remaining | Result | ||
| Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus | 103 / 120 (individuals) | 86 | near favourable | ||
| European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus | 912 / 912 (individuals) | 100 | favourable | ||
| Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes | 191 / 191 (individuals) | 100 | favourable | ||
| Sardinian Warbler Curruca melanocephala | 26 / 26 (individuals) | 100 | favourable | ||
| Pressure (threats to the key species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Biological resource use | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | slow deterioration (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Pollution | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | slow deterioration (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the key species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Not assessed | Not assessed | Not assessed | not assessed |
| Habitat | % of IBA | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 84 | |
| Shrubland | 13 | |
| Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 2 | |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | 1 |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| nature conservation and research | major (>10) |
| tourism/recreation | major (>10) |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Bentael forest area (Lebanon). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/bentael-forest-area-iba-lebanon on 13/01/2025.