Data Zone
Country/territory: Saudi Arabia
IBA criteria met: A1, A2, A3, B1iv, B2, B3 (1994)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 37,000 ha
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2013 | not assessed | low | negligible |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (1994 baseline)
A 40-km-long by 10-km-wide stretch of the west-facing granitic escarpment of the northern Asir mountains, rising from 500 m in Wadi Nu'man to the peaks of Jabal Daka and Jabal Barad at 2,600 m (from 21°22'N 40°15'E south to 21°06'N 40°18'E). The climate is reasonably moist at higher levels but dry in the wadi. Much of the site is rocky and rather barren, but a narrow wooded zone along the escarpment lip is the only locality in Arabia where Mediterranean Juniperus phoenicia and Afrotropical J. excelsa overlap to any extent; shrubs are dominated by Euryops and Lavandula. Valleys east of the scarp have Acacia iraqensis woodland and patches of endangered tree Euphorbia and Aloe. Foothills, wadis and the lower slopes to the west have various Acacia species. There is considerable agricultural terracing and grazing; traditional activities include honey production and rose-growing, and the area is a major recreational resort.
Key biodiversity
See box for key species. Other breeding species include Aquila verreauxii. A passage of raptors occurs in autumn, with maximum daily totals in October of 4,000 Buteo buteo and 500 Aquila nipalensis.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals: Papio hamadryas (endemic), Canis lupus (V), Genetta felina (rare), Caracal caracal (rare).
Acknowledgements
Data-sheet compiled by Dr Stephen F. Newton.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Taif escarpment (Saudi Arabia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/taif-escarpment-iba-saudi-arabia on 23/11/2024.