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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 1994 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
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	NT	winter (1988–1990)	212–360 birds	B1i
Crab-plover Dromas ardeola	LC	winter (1988–1990)	112–320 birds	B3
Slender-billed Gull Larus genei	LC	winter (1988–1990)	950–1,500 birds	A4i, B1i

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1994. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1988	Sulaibikhat Gulf Beach (Al-Doha) Natural Reserve	محمية الطبيعية (IV)	<1
2002	Al-Sulaibikhat Natural Reserve	محمية الطبيعية (IV)	<1

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

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

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Sulaibikhat Bay (Kuwait). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/sulaibikhat-bay-iba-kuwait on 27/12/2024.