Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
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.
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).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Part of the site is included in the NCWCD System Plan for Protected Areas, and a major management plan for a nature reserve and recreation area has been compiled by NCWCD and King Abdulaziz University. There is high pressure on land for housing development, and, as the area was re-opened to built development by government decree in 1990, continued deterioration is likely. Terracing may be increasing, at the expense of
Juniperus woodland, and there is fairly high grazing pressure and doubtless some illegal hunting.
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 23/12/2024.
