Data Zone
Country/territory: Mauritania
IBA criteria met: A1, A3 (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 43,000 ha
Site description (2001 baseline)
Located south of the main road between the towns of Akjoujt and Atâr in the Adrar region, this is an area of rock escarpments and cliffs on the edge of the Adrar plateau. There are numerous wells and springs issuing from faults in the rock. Permanent and semi-permanent gueltas form in rocky basins within the escarpment and a wetland called a grara forms in a large lowland depression at the base of the escarpment after the rains. The vegetation of the area includes Phoenix dactylifera, Hyoscyamus muticus, Tamarix sp., Acacia raddiana, 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, three species of the Sahel biome have been recorded; see Table 2.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ibi (Graret el Frass) (Mauritania). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ibi-(graret-el-frass)-iba-mauritania on 23/11/2024.