Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
A 4-km-long by 500-m-wide stretch of muddy and mud-sand intertidal flats, from Jizan Port to the northern edge of the city. The flats, enriched by sewage outfall from Jizan city, were in the past fringed by mangrove, but all such areas have now been lost to land-claim.
See box for key species. This site is a core area in a region of generally good wader habitat from Jizan south to the Yemen border. Densities are on average much higher than at neighbouring sites, due to the sewage outfalls of Jizan city. There is a peak January count of 20,053 waterbirds, though this was in 1992, an unusually cold winter, and may therefore be higher than typical; 10,000-15,000 waterbirds were present in December 1992.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The site is severely threatened by pollution from oil, organic domestic effluent and garbage, and especially by large-scale land reclamation for urban expansion. Fishing activities and the proximity of the large city of Jizan result in frequent human disturbance of birds. Part of the site is proposed as a Special Nature Reserve in the NCWCD System Plan for Protected Areas. Immediate action should be taken to stop further loss of intertidal habitat, and pollution should be monitored. Regular counts during winter and migration seasons are required.
Data-sheet compiled by P. Symens.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Jizan Bay (Saudi Arabia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/jizan-bay-iba-saudi-arabia on 25/12/2024.
