Current view: Text account
Site description (2014 baseline):
Site location and context
The Diyala River flows south-southwest from the outlet of Darbandikhan Reservoir and eventually enters the Tigris River south of Baghdad. This site is located on the Diyala River between two important bird areas along this corridor, Darbandikhan (IQ040) and Maidan Area (IQ045) to the north and Himreen Lake (IQ053) to the south. There are surrounding hills, some cultivated areas, and an extensive but often fragmented riparian zone.
Additional Important Bird Observations: During the surveys, 60 species were recorded. The site also held one breeding Irano-Turanian, one Mediterranean and three Sahara-Sindian Desert biome-restricted species (see Appendix X) but this did not trigger inclusion under criterion A3. European Roller Coracias garrulus (Near Threatened) was recorded in the breeding season.
Other Important Fauna: Data for non-avian fauna were collected during 2007 and 2008 only, when 18 Wild Boars Sus scrofa, which are often hunted, and one Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii were observed.
Fish: Data were collected in 2007 and 2008 only, during which five significant species were reported: Alburnus mossulensis, Carasobarbus luteus, Cyprinion macrostomum, Gambusia holbrooki, and Garra rufa.
The main habitat in the region is steppe, but the botanical survey evaluated the riverine forest. The site is located in the Moist Steppe Zone, where the geology is sandstone, clay, and sandy gravel, and the soil type is sandy clay. The non-vegetated area covered approximately 50% of the terrain.
There is continuous construction of housing and commercial development, especially between Kalar and Kifri, northwest of the delineated aera. Crops are grown (primarily wheat and barley) and hunting is practised especially in the foothills near Mil Qasm and Sar Qala (about 26 km northwest of the study site). Oil wells are being drilled in Mil Qasm and Sar Qala by Western Zagros Oil Company and the area northwest of the site is now targeted for future drilling by the same company. Gravel is mined along the Diyala River in many locations.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The area is highly impacted by gravel mining. Agriculture and pollution from untreated sewage from the city of Kalar as well as towns and villages upstream that enter the Diyala River also represent a threat to the site. Residential developments such as housing complexes are increasing in the city of Kalar and have expanded into the areas between Kalar and Kifri, especially in the years after the fall of Saddam. Hunting is another high threat with a focus on Goitered Gazelle and See-See Partridge, despite the fact that hunting is forbidden in this area.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kalar Area (Iraq). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kalar-area-iba-iraq on 27/12/2024.
