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The site was identified as important in 2001 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna	LC	winter	-	4,700 individuals	A4i
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea	LC	winter	-	250 individuals	A4i
Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris	NT	winter	-	30 individuals	A1, A4i
Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata	LC	winter	-	10,960 individuals	A4i
Gadwall Mareca strepera	LC	winter	-	1,350 individuals	A4i
Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope	LC	winter	-	26,000 individuals	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	winter	-	1,080 individuals	A4i
Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata	LC	winter	-	67 individuals	A4i
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra	LC	winter	-	45,460 individuals	A4i
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	winter	-	6,945 individuals	A4i
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola	VU	winter	-	5,260 individuals	A4i
Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris	CR	winter	2000	present	A1
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter	-	100,000-499,999 individuals	A4iii

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2001) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2001. The most recent assessment (2001) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Natural system modifications	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Pollution	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Biological resource use	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1978	Merja Zerga	Réserve Biologique Permanente	96
1980	Merja Zerga	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	-
1980	Merja Zerga	Nature Reserve	100

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
fisheries/aquaculture	-
hunting	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-
urban/industrial/transport	-
other	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Merja Zerga (Morocco). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/merja-zerga-iba-morocco on 22/11/2024.