Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Jebel Marra is an extinct volcano which rises out of the plains of Darfur between the town of El Fasher and the international frontier with Chad. The lower slopes have some tree cover while in the centre of the crater lie two lakes surrounded by rolling hills covered with grass and bushes. The site is surrounded by rocky desert and sparse scrub dissected by a series of wadis.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. In addition to
Falco naumanni, which occurs in significant numbers,
Circus macrourus and
Aythya nyroca have also been recorded on passage. Five species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome (A04) have also been recorded (see Table 2).
Non-bird biodiversity: The site is known to support an endemic flora. The tree Olea chrysophylla occurs, one of only two sites in Sudan from which it is known.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The site has been proposed as a Natural Conservation Area. The vegetation of the massif is becoming degraded as a result of overgrazing and clearance for fuelwood.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Jebel Marra (Sudan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/jebel-marra-iba-sudan on 23/11/2024.
