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

Site description (2001 baseline)
The site consists of a 40-km-long fine-sand beach and associated sand-dunes, stretching from Ras Takoumba in the north to Aoreora in the south, including the estuary of the Oued Boussafene. Along the 15 km of coastline between Ras Takoumba and Oued Boussafene, the coastal sand-dunes are low, and are separated from the inland edge of the coastal plateau by a shallow depression 400–500 m wide, which can be temporarily inundated with fresh water in wet years, forming an attractive habitat for migrating waterfowl. The 25-km stretch of coastline between Oued Boussafene and Aoreora (the section of coast usually referred to as ‘Plage Blanche’) is backed by fields of higher, stable dunes, which reach their greatest width, 9 km, at the southern end of the site. Vegetation consists of dunal vegetation, halophytic scrub with Euphorbia echinus, E. regis-jubae, E. balsamifera, Lycium intricatum and Tamarix gallica along watercourses.

Key biodiversity
See Box for key species. Calidris alba is present at high densities along much of the beach during the winter, while Marmaronetta angustirostris may frequent the temporary wetland between Oued Boussafene and Ras Takoumba. Larus fuscus approaches IBA thresholds.

Non-bird biodiversity: Fifteen species of reptile, including four Moroccan endemics, and one endemic amphibian, Bufo brongersmai, are known from the site.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Plage Blanche - Ras Takoumba (Morocco). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/plage-blanche--ras-takoumba-iba-morocco on 23/12/2024.