Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The site is an extensive coastal lagoon with an intertidal area covering 1,600 ha. It is situated on the southern edge of the Gulf of Gabès, 50 km north of the town of Medenine. It is fringed by saltmarshes; the vegetation is therefore predominantly halophytic, dominated by
Halocnemum,
Salicornia and
Suaeda species.
See Box for key species. See under Kneiss (site TN032) for the ornithological importance of the Gulf of Gabès; many of the species recorded there occur at Gourine. The area is important for wintering
Larus genei,
L. ridibundus and
Sterna caspia. There are breeding populations of
Larus cachinnans and
Sterna albifrons. In addition, six species of the Mediterranean North Africa biome (A01) and four of the Sahara–Sindian biome (A02) occur at this site (see Table 2).
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Human disturbance and hunting are the main threats.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Côte de Zerkine et El Grine (Tunisia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/côte-de-zerkine-et-el-grine-iba-tunisia on 23/11/2024.
