Data Zone
The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 1999 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca | NT | winter (1999) | present | A1 |
| Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio | LC | breeding (1999) | 100 pairs | A4i |
Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1999. The most recent assessment (1999) is shown below.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 1999 | moderate | medium | medium |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| yes | habitat | medium | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Actual vs Reference (units) | % remaining | Result | ||
| Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio | 100 / 100 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| State (condition of the trigger species' habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat | Quantity (% remaining) | Quality (% carrying capacity) | Result |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | good (>90%) | moderate (70–90%) | moderate |
| Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Human intrusions and disturbance | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | slow decline (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Natural system modifications | likely in long term (>4 years) | whole of population/area (>90%) | slow decline (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Agricultural expansion and intensification | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | no or slight decline (<1% over 3 generations) | low |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation | No management plan exists, but the management planning process has begun | Substantive conservation measures are being implemented, but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity | medium |
| Year | Protected Area | Designation (management category) | % coverage of IBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Wadi El Rayan | Multiple Use Management Area (VI) | 100 |
| 2005 | Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley) | World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) (UA) | 36 |
| Habitat | % of IBA | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | major (>10) | |
| Desert | major (>10) |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| agriculture | - |
| fisheries/aquaculture | - |
| hunting | - |
| nature conservation and research | - |
| water management | - |
| other | - |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Wadi El Rayan Protected Area (Egypt). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/wadi-el-rayan-protected-area-iba-egypt on 23/12/2024.