• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as important in 1994 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 List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Common Crane Grus grus	LC	winter	1991	2,800 individuals	B1i
Asian Houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii	VU	breeding	1991	50 breeding pairs	A1, B2
Black Stork Ciconia nigra	LC	passage	1991	1,000-1,500 individuals	B1i
White Stork Ciconia ciconia	LC	passage	1991	35,000-50,000 individuals	B1i, B2
Eurasian Dotterel Eudromias morinellus	LC	winter	1991	250 individuals	B1i
Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus	NT	winter	1991	1,000 individuals	B1i
Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius	CR	winter	1991	21 individuals	A1, B2
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola	LC	passage	1991	200 individuals	B1i
Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga	VU	winter	1992	21 individuals	A1, B2
Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca	VU	winter	1991	30 individuals	A1, B2
Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus	LC	breeding	1991	1 breeding pairs	B2
A4iv Species group - soaring birds/cranes	n/a	passage	1991	60,000-75,500 individuals	A4iv, B1iv

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (1994) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1994. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Residential and commercial development	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%)	No management planning has taken place	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	negligible

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	Holot Nizzanim	Nature Reserve	1
1966	Shivta	National Park	<1
1967	Ha Besor	Nature Reserve	1
1969	Makhtesh Be'eri	Nature Reserve	<1
1977	Nahal Ha-Besor Ve Nahal Beer sheva	Nature Reserve	<1
1986	Eshkol	National Park	<1
1992	Holot Mash'abbim	Nature Reserve	1
2002	Nizzana	National Park	<1
2010	Holot Agur	Nature Reserve	8

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Desert		major (>10)
Artificial/Terrestrial		minor (<10)
Grassland		minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	1
military	major (>10)
agriculture	minor (<10)
hunting	minor (<10)
urban/industrial/transport	minor (<10)
rangeland/pastureland	minor (<10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Western Negev (Israel). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/western-negev-iba-israel on 23/11/2024.