• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2017 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 List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa	LC	breeding (2005–2017)	800–1,600 pairs	B2a
Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis	LC	breeding (2005–2017)	2,600–4,000 pairs	A4, B3a

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2017. The most recent assessment (2017) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Actual vs Reference (units)	% remaining	Result
Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis	2,600 / 3,300 (pairs)	79	moderate

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A compre­hensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	medium

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	major (>10)
Marine Neritic	major (>10)
Marine Intertidal	minor (<10)

Land use	% of IBA
tourism/recreation	100
nature conservation and research	major (>10)

The site is part of the private islands of the royal family.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Muhaimat Island (United Arab Emirates). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/muhaimat-island-iba-united-arab-emirates on 23/12/2024.