Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Located along the course of the Oued Saquia Al Hamra, the site is bordered on its southern side by the suburbs of the rapidly growing town of Laayoune. Along much of its course, the oued is dry for most of the year, only holding water after infrequent rainfall. However, about 1 km downstream from Laayoune the oued is blocked by mobile dunes, so that the discharged effluent of the town forms a series of permanent stagnant pools. Vegetation consists of fringing stands of
Tamarix and
Hyphaene spp., with aquatic species
Ruppia sp. and
Charia mauretanica.
See Box for key species. Six species have been recorded breeding, including
Tadorna ferruginea,
Ciconia nigra and
Glareola pratincola, as well as one species of the Sahara–Sindian biome (see Table 2). The site is chiefly important as a stop-over area for migrating waders and waterfowl, and small numbers of wintering
Marmaronetta angustirostris have been recorded.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The site is unprotected. The main measure necessary is conservation education of the surrounding population to reduce undue disturbance to nesting and wintering birds.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Zone Humide de Laayoune (Morocco). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/zone-humide-de-laayoune-iba-morocco on 23/11/2024.
