Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Also known as Bhiret el Bibane (the Sea of Bibane), the site is situated on the south-eastern coast, 10 km north of Ben Guerdane, 20 km south of Zarzis and 15 km from the Libyan border. It is a coastal lagoon 32 km long and up to 10 km wide, with an average depth of 4 m. It is linked to the sea by a series of small channels, the largest of which is 800 m wide.
See Box for key species. It is an important wintering and passage site for waterbirds including
Anas penelope,
A. acuta,
A. clypeata,
Grus grus,
Numenius arquata,
N. phaeopus,
N. tenuirostris (a group of 32 was reported in 1979),
Larus melanocephalus,
L. minutus,
L. ridibundus,
L. genei,
L. fuscus,
L. cachinnans,
Sterna nilotica and
S. caspia.
Larus cachinnans,
Sterna hirundo and
S. albifrons all breed.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Traditional fishing is the main human activity in the lagoon and may be a cause of disturbance to waterbirds.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lagune El Bibane (Tunisia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lagune-el-bibane-iba-tunisia on 23/12/2024.
