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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation 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 List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
See-see Partridge Ammoperdix griseogularis	LC	resident (1976)	30 birds	B3
Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius	CR	passage (1974)	40 birds	A1, A4i
Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans	LC	winter (1992)	2,000–3,000 birds	B1i
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	breeding (1993)	5 birds	B2
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter (1992)	100,000–200,000 birds	A4iii

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 (<4 years)	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Human intrusions and disturbance	likely in short term (<4 years)	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Little/none of area covered (<10%)	No management plan exists, but the management planning process has begun	Very little or no conservation action taking place	very low

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

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 23/12/2024.