• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
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• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as important in 1994 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
See-see Partridge Ammoperdix griseogularis	LC	resident	1976	30 individuals	B3
Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius	CR	passage	1974	40 individuals	A1, A4i
Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans	LC	winter	1992	2,000-3,000 individuals	B1i
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	breeding	1993	5 individuals	B2
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter	1992	100,000-200,000 individuals	A4iii

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (1994) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1994. The most recent assessment (2014) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Energy production and mining	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant deterioration	low
Human intrusions and disturbance	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%)	No management plan exists but the management planning process has begun	Very little or no conservation action taking place	negligible

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine	Excavations (open), Irrigated land, Water-storage areas	90
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land, Pasture land, Plantations, Urban areas	minor (<10)
Desert		minor (<10)
Grassland	Temperate	minor (<10)
Wetlands (inland)	Permanent freshwater lakes, Permanent freshwater marshes & pools, Permanent inland deltas, Permanent rivers, streams & creeks	minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
water management	90
hunting	major (>10)
tourism/recreation	minor (<10)
urban/industrial/transport	minor (<10)
agriculture	minor (<10)
rangeland/pastureland	minor (<10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Buhayrat al-Assad (Syria). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/buhayrat-al-assad-iba-syria on 23/11/2024.