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The site was identified as important 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 List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus	LC	breeding	2005-2017	max 222 breeding pairs	A4, B3a
Sooty Gull Larus hemprichii	LC	breeding	2005-2017	550-1,350 breeding pairs	A4, B2a, B3a
Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus	LC	breeding	2005-2017	4,000-6,500 breeding pairs	A4, B3a
Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis	LC	breeding	2005-2017	25,000-45,000 breeding pairs	A4, B3a
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	breeding	2005-2017	29,900-50,485 breeding pairs	B3b

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2017) may differ.

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	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus	125	0	breeding pairs	0	very unfavourable
Sooty Gull Larus hemprichii	950	1,350	breeding pairs	100	favourable
Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus	5,250	6,500	breeding pairs	100	favourable
White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa	4,000	1,500	breeding pairs	38	very unfavourable
Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis	35,000	34,000	breeding pairs	98	favourable

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 area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>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	% overlap with IBA
-	Qarnein Island	Marine Protected Area	100

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		major (>10)
Marine Neritic		major (>10)
Marine Intertidal		minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

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 23/11/2024.