Current view: Text account
Site description (2014 baseline):
Site location and context
This area is dominated by the Lesser Zab River, which has banks made of clay and silt and fluctuating speed and flow rates due to the opening and closing of the Dukan Dam upstream. The main part of the town of Taq Taq lies on the northern bank and the river on both sides is used for agriculture and grazing. There is also oil development in the area
During the surveys, a total of 40 species were recorded. The site also held breeding populations of three Irano-Turanian, one Mediterranean, and three Sahara-Sindian Desert biome-restricted species but this did not trigger inclusion under criterion A3. Eastern Cinereous Bunting Emberiza semenowi (Near Threatened) and Iraq Babbler Turdoides altirostris (Near Endemic) were breeding at the site.
Other Important Fauna: Mammal data were collected in 2007. Observations were made of Golden Jackal Canis aureus and tracks and signs of Wild Boar were seen in the riparian area (one dead female boar shot by locals as a pest species was found on an island in the river during the summer of 2007). One otter pelt was examined from a local hunter in the Taq Taq area and samples were sent to experts from King Khaled Wildlife Research Centre for DNA tests. The speciemen was identified as Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata, a Vulnerable species, and the Taq Taq specimen indicates a range extension northward of more than 500 km for this species (Omer et al. 2012).
Fish: Data were collected in 2007 and 2008, during which 10 species were identified. According to Coad (2010) significant species were: Alburnus mossulensis, Cyprinus carpio, Cyprinion macrostomum, Leuciscus vorax, Luciobarbus esocinus, L. xanthopterus, Silurus triostegus, and Tor grypus. Additional, according to Coad, the conservation status of the following observed species in Iraq is unknown: Alburnus caeruleus and Mastacembelus mastacembelus.
The main habitat examined here is river riparian vegetation along the Lesser Zab River. The site is located in the Zagros Range and the geology is limestone and marls, with a soil type of sandy clay.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Gravel mining is extensive on the river upstream, within the site, and downstream. It has affected the area and damaged in stream and riparian habitats of the river. Little is known about the nature of the oil development in the area, but in 2005, Addax Petroleum of Canada in a sharing agreement with Genel Enerji of Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) entered this area for the purpose of oil production and in 2006 with agreement of the KRG expanded the geographic scope of the original agreement to include the Kewa Chirmila prospect. According to the information on their website, the license area covers approximately 951 km2, which includes the Taq Taq field and the Kewa Chirmila prospect. In 2007, the Taq Taq Operating Company (TTOPCO) “acquired 292 km2 of 3D seismic covering the Taq Taq field and 218 km2 of 2D seismic covering the remainder of the license area including the Kewa Chirmila prospect” (Addax Petroleum, 2012). Experts quoted in a Forbes article (Helmen, 2007) believe that Taq Taq holds in excess of 2.7 billion barrels of crude oil and could produce up to 200,000 bpd for up to ten years. The article also noted that at that time, due to lack of infrastructure, oil produced at the opening of the well had to be burned off.
The riparian area along the Lesser Zab River has also been heavily utilized for agriculture (considered a high threat) resulting in widespread habitat disturbance and possibly causing some pollution to the river. The latter was considered a medium threat. Housing development can be seen in the area but only at a moderate level.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Taq Taq (Iraq). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/taq-taq-iba-iraq on 23/12/2024.
