BirdLife IBA Factsheet

Country/Territory

Mauritania

Administrative region(s)

Adrar

Central coordinates

21^o 35' North 10^o 35' West Map

Area

Altitude

330 - 330m

Criteria

A1, A3

Site description El Ghallâouîya is situated 75 km north-east of Guelb el Richât in the Adrar region. A winding escarpment links it to the Guelb and, further south, to the Adrar plateau. It is a permanent water-source exploited by nomadic herders. Deep ravines intersect the cliffs and there are many ledges and crevices in the rock-face. The plains are dominated by ergs and isolated dunes, punctuated by wells and sebkhas. The vegetation of the area includes Hyoscyamus muticus, Tamarix sp., Acacia raddiana, Capparis decidua, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Maerua crassifolia, Salvadora persica, Balanites aegyptiaca, Panicum turgidum and Stipagrostis pungens.

Birds See Box and Table 2 for key species. Three species of the Sahel biome has also been recorded; see Table 2.

Conservation issues No information, but lying a mere 75 km from Mauritania's most important tourist area, human pressure on the area may increase in the future.

Recommended Citation BirdLife International (2009) Important Bird Area factsheet: El Ghallâouîya, Mauritania. Downloaded from the Data Zone at http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010