Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
A rocky escarpment rising steeply to 116 m from the coastal mudflats and associated saltmarshes and sand-dunes on Kuwait Bay. A gravel plain extends northwards from the escarpment ridge and gives rise to the extensive wadi system of Ar-Rimam. Most of the park is sandy desert, with much gravel in northern areas. Dunes of the coastal zone are dominated by
Zygophyllum, higher areas of sand by
Rhanterium and
Cyperus, whilst on the gravel plains
Stipa grass is dominant. In spring, the playas are covered in
Gynandriris irises. Soil fertility is very low and the site has no agricultural value; the site was much used during winter and spring for prolonged recreational camping activities before the recent conflict.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Prior to the Gulf conflict, the park had been completely enclosed but much of the fencing was destroyed or removed during the Iraqi occupation. The Park management and protection schemes have not yet been re-instated. Without a resumption of these measures, the area will again be subjected to former major problems: excessive hunting/falconry, destruction of desert crust by vehicles, overgrazing and browsing, and, more locally, excessive soil erosion. There have been proposals to reintroduce
Oryx leucoryx and
Gazella subgutturosa.
Data-sheet compiled by Prof. C. W. T. Pilcher.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Jal Az-Zor (Kuwait). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/jal-az-zor-iba-kuwait on 23/11/2024.
