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

Site description (2001 baseline)
Located in the Rif mountain range in northern Morocco, a few kilometres east of the town of Chefchaouen, 75% of this 60,000 ha proposed Natural Park lies in rugged terrain, on slopes with a gradient of more than 20%. The site ascends from near sea-level (20 m where the northern boundary crosses the Oued Laou near its estuary) to the summits of Jbels Taloussine (2,005 m), Tissouka (2,122 m) and Lakraa (2,159 m)—an altitudinal range of more than 2,000 metres. The limestone massif of these peaks is mainly forested, the principal woody species being Quercus rotundifolia, Q. fagina, Q. coccifera, Q. suber, Abies maroccana, Pinus pinaster, P. halepensis, P. clusiana, Olea europea, and Tetraclinus articulata. Other species include Juniperus oxycedrus and J. phoenicea. The non-woody flora is also extremely rich, with a high level of endemism, and has been the object of numerous studies.

Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 2 for key species. A total of 113 species have been recorded, many of them raptors. Falco naumanni may nest in small numbers. All nine species of the Mediterranean North Africa biome (A01) that occur at the site also breed there, although two, Caprimulgus ruficollis and Oenanthe leucura, are considered rare or irregular. A species of the Sahara–Sindian biome (A02) also breeds (see Table 2).

Non-bird biodiversity: The primate Macaca sylvanus (VU) and the tortoise Testudo graeca (VU) are present, as is one Moroccan endemic reptile Chalcides polylepis.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Parc Naturel de Talassemtane (Morocco). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/parc-naturel-de-talassemtane-iba-morocco on 22/11/2024.