Data Zone
Country/territory: Mauritania
IBA criteria met: A1, A3 (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 35,000 hectares (350.00 km2)
Site description (2001 baseline)
El Ghallâouîya is situated 75 km north-east of Guelb el Richât in the Adrar region. A winding escarpment links it to the Guelb and, further south, to the Adrar plateau. It is a permanent water-source exploited by nomadic herders. Deep ravines intersect the cliffs and there are many ledges and crevices in the rock-face. The plains are dominated by ergs and isolated dunes, punctuated by wells and sebkhas. The vegetation of the area includes Hyoscyamus muticus, Tamarix sp., Acacia raddiana, Capparis decidua, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Maerua crassifolia, Salvadora persica, Balanites aegyptiaca, Panicum turgidum and Stipagrostis pungens.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 2 for key species. Three species of the Sahel biome has also been recorded; see Table 2.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: El Ghallâouîya (Mauritania). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/el-ghallâouîya-iba-mauritania on 23/12/2024.