Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The site is situated 14 km south-west of Skhira and 30 km north-west of the town of Gabès. It comprises a sebkhet (about 380 ha), an intertidal area (about 200 ha) and the part of Oued Rimth that crosses Sebkhet Dreïaa and ends into the Gulf of Gabès. The intertidal area is overgrown with
Zostera and near the shoreline there is an abundant growth of
Halocnemum,
Atriplex,
Phragmites spp.
and
Juncus maritimus. Further inland, the vegetation is more sparse and essentially consists of
Arthrocnemum sp. while parts of the sebkhet are unvegetated.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. The area is also important for wintering and passage waterbirds, with up to 100
Phalacrocorax carbo, 35–50
Egretta garzetta, 150–200
Platalea leucorodia, 200–250
Tadorna tadorna, 1,400
Anas penelope, 100
A. acuta,
Grus grus,
Haematopus ostralegus, 7,000–8,000
Calidris alpina, 700
Numenius arquata, 1,070
Tringa totanus, 300–350
Larus fuscus in winter, and breeding
Larus cachinnans,
Sterna albifrons and, perhaps, some
S. hirundo. Up to 14,000 waterbirds occur. In addition, seven species of the Mediterranean North Africa biome (A01) have been recorded (see Table 2).
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Hunting and human disturbance are the main threats.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Sebkhet Dreiaâ (Tunisia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/sebkhet-dreiaâ-iba-tunisia on 23/11/2024.
