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YE024
Abdullah Gharib lagoons
Location Yemen, Al Mahrah
Central coordinates 52o 21.00' East  16o 21.00' North
IBA criteria A4i, B1i, B3
Area 100 ha
Altitude 0 - 5m
Year of IBA assessment 2001

Yemen Society for the Protection of Wildlife (Affiliate)



Ornithological information An important feeding and roosting area for gulls and terns, and to a lesser extent waders. See table for key species; smaller numbers of other terns occur, notably Sterna caspia. This coast attracts very large numbers of migrant gulls Larus in autumn, with 30,000 (80% L. fuscus) counted along 50 km in November.

Site description Situated 20 km north-east of Al-Ghayda, these large coastal lagoons lie either side of the village of Abdullah Gharib.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Sooty Gull Larus hemprichii passage  1993  1,720 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i, B3  Least Concern 
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus passage  1989  24,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Great Crested Tern Sterna bergii passage  1993  1,750 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Coastline   major
Sea   minor

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
fisheries/aquaculture major

Other biodiversity No information.

Management considerations The only likely threat to the sites is excessive disturbance of birds by human activity.

Conservation response No formal nature conservation measures are known to have been taken.

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Abdullah Gharib lagoons. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/05/2013

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