Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The site comprises a 6-km stretch of sandy coastline with low dunes, located approximately 50 km south of Boujdour in the Moroccan Sahara. The sand and dunes have accreted at the foot of 100-m-high rocky cliffs—which for many kilometres in either direction constitute the normal coastline—to form a barely perceptible point. These cliffs mark the inland boundary of the site, which is around 1 km wide at most. The site is accessible by two tracks descending the cliffs, and is frequented by rod-and-line subsistence fishermen who have constructed several camps. The dunes support sparse, salt-tolerant tussock vegetation.
The site’s ornithological interest lies in the fact that it is the only sandy stretch of coastline for many kilometres north or south, and is therefore used as a roosting site by waders and seabirds, particularly migrant gulls. In winter it is an important roost for
Larus audouinii. Two January visits recorded 1,680 individuals (in 1993) and 5,500 (in 1997).
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The Pointe d’Awfist is currently unprotected, but has been identified as a priority 2 SIBE (No. L37). The principal threats are pollution and disturbance of birds by fishermen, and the main conservation measures required are the restriction of access to the site during the winter months and the removal of the few scattered permanent fishing camps.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Pointe d'Awfist (Morocco). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/pointe-dawfist-iba-morocco on 22/12/2024.
