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The site was identified as important in 2008 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
Bar-tailed Lark Ammomanes cinctura	LC	breeding	2005-2006	10 individuals	A3
Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti	LC	resident	2006	3 individuals	A3
Temminck's Lark Eremophila bilopha	LC	resident	2005-2006	30-32 individuals	A3
Streaked Scrub-warbler Scotocerca inquieta	LC	resident	2005-2006	3-5 individuals	A3
Mourning Wheatear Oenanthe lugens	LC	resident	2005-2006	11-34 individuals	A3
Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus	LC	breeding	2005-2006	2-7 individuals	A3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2008) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2008. The most recent assessment (2007) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Temminck's Lark Eremophila bilopha	13	7	individuals	54	unfavourable
Spectacled Warbler Curruca conspicillata	3	3	individuals	100	favourable
Oenanthe lugens	21	15	individuals	72	near favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%)	No management plan exists but the management planning process has begun	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Desert		90
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land	10

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
hunting	major (>10)
rangeland/pastureland	major (>10)
agriculture	minor (<10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Semi Deserts of Ras Baalbek (Lebanon). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/semi-deserts-of-ras-baalbek-iba-lebanon on 23/11/2024.