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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Chott Djerid, situated between the towns of Tozeur and Kebili, is the largest salt depression in North Africa, and gives its name to the whole region. In very wet winters it resembles an inland sea, though water depth never exceeds 1 m; in most years it is a huge area of wet salt, unvegetated because of the high salinity. Also included in the IBA is the steppe surrounding the Chott.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. Most of the inhospitable salt-wastes of the Djerid are unattractive to birds, and wintering waterbirds only occur during very wet winters. The Djerid is probably the only regular breeding site in Tunisia for
Phoenicopterus ruber, but the breeding areas are so inaccessible that they have not recently been visited. The shores of Chott Djerid are important areas for many species of the steppe–desert ecotone.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Threats include hunting, human disturbance and oil exploration.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chott Djerid (Tunisia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chott-djerid-iba-tunisia on 23/12/2024.
