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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Chaâmbi National Park, situated 10 km west of the town of Kasserine is dominated by Djebel Chaâmbi which, at 1,544 m, is the highest peak in Tunisia. Djebel Chaâmbi supports the largest remaining and best-conserved area of pine-dominated evergreen forest in the Tunisian Dorsale. Dominant trees are, at lower altitudes,
Pinus halepensis and
Quercus ilex, replaced near the summit by
Juniperus phoenicea and
J. oxycedrus. Common shrubs include
Rosmarinus officinalis and
Globularia alypum. Around the foot of the mountain the forest gives way to grassland of
Stipa tenacissima.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. It is one of only two IBAs at which
Picus vaillantii is recorded. The park also supports a diverse breeding raptor fauna including
Neophron percnopterus,
Circaetus gallicus,
Hieraaetus pennatus,
Buteo rufinus,
Falco peregrinus and
F. tinnunculus. Other breeding species include
Columba palumbus,
Sylvia deserticola and
Loxia curvirostra.
Non-bird biodiversity: The mammals Ammotragus lervia (VU), Gazella cuvieri (EN) and Hyaena hyaena (LR/nt) all occur, but are rare.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The site was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and became a National Park in 1980. Forest-fire is probably the largest potential threat.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chaâmbi (Tunisia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chaâmbi-iba-tunisia on 23/11/2024.
