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• Text account
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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
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus	LC	breeding (2005–2017)	max 222 pairs	A4, B3a
Sooty Gull Larus hemprichii	LC	breeding (2005–2017)	550–1,350 pairs	A4, B2a, B3a
Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus	LC	breeding (2005–2017)	4,000–6,500 pairs	A4, B3a
Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis	LC	breeding (2005–2017)	25,000–45,000 pairs	A4, B3a
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	breeding (2005–2017)	29,900–50,485 pairs	B3b

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
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus	0 / 125 (pairs)	0	very poor
Sooty Gull Larus hemprichii	1,350 / 950 (pairs)	100	good
Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus	6,500 / 5,250 (pairs)	100	good
White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa	1,500 / 4,000 (pairs)	38	very poor
Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis	34,000 / 35,000 (pairs)	98	good

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	No management plan exists, but the management planning process has begun	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
-	Qarnein Island	Marine Protected Area (-)	100

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

Land use	% of IBA
urban/industrial/transport	minor (<10)
tourism/recreation	minor (<10)
fisheries/aquaculture	minor (<10)
other	minor (<10)

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