Data Zone
Country/territory: Mauritania
IBA criteria met: A3 (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 25,000 hectares (250.00 km2)
Site description (2001 baseline)
Chegga is an ancient fort and water-source in the north-east of Mauritania, close to the international border with Algeria, on an escarpment known as El Hank. The limestone and chalk cliffs rise 100 m above the surrounding plains. It contains numerous water springs along the rock-face, and in among the rockfalls and slips are gueltas. The vegetation typical of the area includes: Phoenix dactylifera, Adiantum capillus veneris, Hyoscyamus muticus, Tamarix sp., Acacia raddiana, Rhus tripantitus, Capparis decidua, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Maerua crassifolia, Salvadora persica, Balanites aegyptiaca and Panicum turgidum.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 2 for key species. In addition, one species of the Sahel biome has been recorded from this site; see Table 2.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chegga (Mauritania). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chegga-iba-mauritania on 23/12/2024.