Current view: Text account
Site description (2014 baseline):
Site location and context
Suweibaat (also known as Sleibaat or sometimes Sleibeekhaat) is a large depression and seasonal wetland approximately 54km long and 15km wide. It collects rainwater from the southwestern desert (Al-Shamiya) via branched wadis that carry water seasonally, of which the main ones are: Rijlat Al-Shalhoobiya, Sh’eeb Al-’Ash’ali, Sh’eeb Al-Qaseer, and Rijlat Al-Safawi. These wadis are not deep but contain relatively good vegetation. Suwaibaat also receives a small amount of water from the western bank of the Euphrates River through Al-Qadissiya Canal, which was originally built in the 1990s to divert water away from the marshlands
Additional Important Bird Observations: In addition to the species listed in the table above, the site also held seven Sahara-Sindian Desert biome-restricted species that might breed at the site, but these did not trigger inclusion under criterion A3.
Other Important Fauna: According to local reports, mammals include: Honey Badger Mellivora capensis, Striped Hyena Hyaena hyaena (Near Threatened), and Grey Wolf Canis lupus among other common species. Several reptiles were observed and reported but species were not identified and fish were not studied.
In addition to the seasonal waterbody, Suwaibaat includes vast desert and arid areas with desert shrub habitat but approximately 90% of the land is unvegetated. The geology is marls, siltstone, gypsum, and limestone bands.
The waterbody itself provides good habitat and shelter for quite large numbers of migrant and wintering waterfowl and waders. Eridu, an ancient Sumerian city, lies close to but outside the delineated site and surrounded by a large soil embankment. The Ziggurat of Eridu emerges as a large hill and a paved road leads to the ruins. The KBA team covered only a small portion to the southeast of the area near Eridu and was not able to survey the rest of this site. Most of the information was collected from reports of locals and hunters that regularly visit the area.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The surveys did not cover this site comprehensively in either space or time, but some ranking of threats could be done. High threats at the site were energy production because of the oil development in the area; over-exploitation of species because of the birds hunting and overgrazing; and human disturbance because of the Bedouin activities and other users of the site (for example, hunters driving 4x4 vehicles in search of game birds). In addition there were several reports that bird hunters used poisoned bait to collect as many birds (especially ducks) as possible. The western and southern parts of Suwaibaat appear to have the most severe hunting pressure on Houbara. Medium threats were agricultural intensification in the northern parts of the site; natural system modification; and pollution from discharge of drainage water containing fertilizers from neighboring farms.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Suwaibaat (Sleibaat) (Iraq). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/suwaibaat-(sleibaat)-iba-iraq on 23/12/2024.
