Sir Bu Na'air Island (United Arab Emirates) IBA | Summary

Sir Bu Na'air Island

Current view: summary

Country/territory: United Arab Emirates

IBA criteria met: A1, A4, B2a, B3a, B3b (2017)
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Area: 5,040 hectares (50.40 km²)

IBA conservation status
Year of assessment (most recent)	State (condition)	Pressure (threat)	Response (action)
2017	poor	very high	low
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Site description (2017 baseline)
The island of Sir Bo Na'air is 65 km offshore of the west coast of the UAE. The nearest location on the mainland is Jebel Ali. It is a 1340 ha, teardrop-shaped arid rocky island in the Arabian Gulf. Shallow reefs offshore hold a diversity of corals and associated marine species.

Key biodiversity
38 species have been recorded on the island (eBird). With the exception of Sooty Gulls, Bridled Terns, Socotra Cormorants and Willow Warblers, other species have been recorded in low numbers.

Other biodiversity: Species diversity on the terrestrial portion of the protected area is low. The marine component has become an area of particular interest for conservation within the UAE due to the species diversity. It is currently subjected to sporadic biodiversity surveys. Turtle nesting records have been documented for the past 6 years.

Acknowledgements
Data-sheet compiled by Brendan Whittington-Jones, John Pereira and Fatima Ahmed Hassan (EPAA).

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Sir Bu Na'air Island (United Arab Emirates). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/sir-bu-naair-island-iba-united-arab-emirates on 23/12/2024.