Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
A steep-sided valley running along the Jordan-Syria border. There are remnants of
Pinus woodland on the slopes, and lush reedbeds
Phragmites and oleander
Nerium thickets along the Yarmuk river, which is the least polluted of Jordan's main rivers. There is a small, spring-fed pool at Birket al Rais. The riverine area is currently a military zone; the main human use of the river is as a water supply to irrigate farmland in the Jordan Valley; local activities include cultivation, fishing, forestry, reed-cutting and mushroom collection.
See box for key species. Other likely breeding species include
Halcyon smyrnensis,
Anthus similis,
Cercomela melanura,
Acrocephalus stentoreus,
Cisticola juncidis and
Nectarinia osea.
Non-bird biodiversity: Fish: Tilapia gallilae (endemic).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Access to the military zone is restricted, which provides some indirect protection. Diversion of water to supply irrigation to intensive agricultural projects in the Jordan Valley is a critical problem along the lower course of the river; drainage of wet bank-side habitats is a major problem, and dynamite fishing in the river and excessive soil erosion are occurring locally. The South American rodent
Myocastor coypus has been introduced; its effects on riverine vegetation are unknown but may be seriously destructive. The Ramtha Wastewater Treatment Plant discharges treated effluent into the river, but this is currently considered to be at an acceptable level. There have long been plans for a large-scale, joint Jordanian-Syrian dam across the Yarmuk river (Wahda or Unity Dam), which would potentially be a critical threat.
Data-sheet compiled by Ali Sutari (per Adnan Budieri).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Wadi Yarmuk (Jordan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/wadi-yarmuk-iba-jordan on 23/11/2024.
