algerian wetlands

71

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Wildfowl (2008) 58: 7196

An ornithological survey of Algerian wetlands:Important Bird Areas, Ramsar sites and

threatened species

BOUDJMA SAMRAOUI & FARRAH SAMRAOUI

Laboratoire de Recherche des Zones Humides, Dpartement de Biologie,University of Guelma, 4 rue Hassi-Beda, Annaba, Algeria.

Email: [email protected]

Abstract

Surveys were undertaken of 100 major wetlands across ten distinct regions of Algeriain 20022008, to determine the numbers of wetland birds using these sites, toprovide new data on wetlands of international importance, and thus to indicatepriorities for conservation action. Ninety-nine wetland birds were recorded and 41sites met one or more of the criteria required for an Important Bird Area (IBA). Thisbrough the total number of sites qualifying as IBAs in Algeria to 53 of which 21 arenot currently listed as part of the IBA network. Fourteen of Algerias current IBAsqualify as Ramsar sites, and all 21 of the potential IBAs also qualify for designationas wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The sitesvisited during the surveys were spread across the Tell, the Hauts Plateaux and theSahara and most held over 1% of a threatened waterbird species. Many of the sitesincluded in the surveys were found to be more important for breeding and migratorywaterbirds than had previously been recognised, and their locations along threenorthsouth corridors make them particularly vital as staging areas before or aftercrossing the Sahara desert. We focused on sites used by wetland birds for breedingand found that Lake Fetzara was particularly important, hosting 23 of the 36 speciesknown to breed in northeast Algeria. Building upon previous work, the present studyprovides a thorough assessment of the ornithological importance of Algerianwetlands. Many of the internationally important sites and ornithological hot-spotsare under heavy pressure from man and are in urgent need of protection and otherconservation measures.

Key words: breeding, conservation status, migration, North Africa, ornithologicalhot-spots, stopover, waterbirds, winter quarters.

72 Ornithological survey of Algerian wetlands


The bird fauna of Algeria is relatively wellknown, due to data collected by dedicatedornithologists over the past two centuries(Heim de Balsac & Mayaud 1962; Ledant etal. 1981; Isenmann & Moali 2000). Yet thereare major gaps in knowledge of the birdsstatus, distribution, seasonal movementsand habitat use, particularly for wetlandspecies. Algeria houses a great diversity ofwetlands which are important staging postsand wintering grounds for migratingPalearctic birds (Stevenson et al. 1988;Coulthard 2001; Boulkhssam et al. 2006).The country also includes importantbreeding sites for several rare, endangeredor biome-restricted species includingAudouins Gull Larus audouinii, White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala,Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, MarbledTeal Marmorenetta angustirostris andEleonoras Falcon Falco eleonora (Spaans et al.1976; Jacob & Jacob 1980). However, lack ofdata on distribution, breeding andpopulation trends has made it difficult to draw firm conclusions about theconservation status of some species and todevelop action plans for species threatenedby human pressure on Algerian wetlands.

The Important Bird Areas (IBA)programme of BirdLife International is aglobal initiative aimed at identifying andprotecting a network of critical sites for theconservation of the worlds birds (Fishpool &Evans 2001). The IBA programme in Africa,which commenced in 1993, identified 31IBAs in Algeria, of which 22 were wetlands(Coulthard 2001). In the light of continuedthreats to waterbirds through global climatechange and anthropogenic pressures, weundertook further surveys of Algerian

wetlands in the early 21st century to identifyadditional potential IBAs, and also sites thatwould qualify for designation as wetlands ofinternational importance under the RamsarConvention. Current and pending threats tothe integrity of these sites were recorded,together with potential measures for ensuringtheir effective conservation.

Study sites

With a total area of 2,381,741 km2,Algeria is the second largest country inAfrica and has a typical Mediterraneanclimate characterised by alternating wet anddry seasons. There is a distinct latitudinalgradient in the climate, from sub-tropical inthe coastal northeast part of the country tosemi-arid in the Hauts Plateaux and an aridclimate across the Sahara.

The surveys were made across ten distinctregions within three broad climatic belts: thecoastal wetlands and the Atlas Mountains(collectively known as the Tell), the HautsPlateaux, and the Sahara. Environmentalconditions varied between the climate beltsdue to different combinations of rainfall,latitude and altitude. The Tell is also moredensely inhabited with major towns (Algiers,Oran and Annaba) concentrated on thecoastal plains. There were six regions in theTell: (1) Eastern Numidia (EN), (2) WesternNumidia (WN), (3) Guelma wetlands (G), (4)the Jijel complex (JC), (5) the Algiers region(AR), and (6) the Oran complex (OC); threeregions in the Hauts Plateaux: (7) EasternHigh Plateaux (EHP), (8) Central HighPlateaux (CHP), (9) Western High Plateaux(WHP), and (10) Sahara (S) was treated as asingle zone (Fig. 1). Surveys in the Sahara

Ornithological survey of Algerian wetlands 73


200 km

Grand E

rg Orien

talGrand E

rg Occidental

Ahaggar

Tassili n-Ajjer

Erg Chech

HautsPlatea

uxTell

Algiers

Sahara

Spain

MoroccoTunisia

Mali Niger

Algeria Libya

Mediterranean Sea

Mauritania

WHP

OC CHP

AR

EHP

S

ENWNG

JC

H amada

d u Draa

Saharan At

las

Figure 1. The location of the ten regions surveyed across Algeria. The six regions in the Tell are:Eastern Numidia (EN), Western Numidia (WN), Guelma wetlands (G), the Jijel complex (JC), theAlgiers region (AR), and (6) the Oran complex (OC). The three regions in the Hauts Plateaux are:Eastern High Plateaux (EHP), Central High Plateaux (CHP), and Western High Plateaux (WHP). TheSaharan region (S) covers a wide area, south of the Saharan Atlas Mountains to the middle of the Saharadesert.



were mainly in the Oued Righ valley and at El Gola.

Methods

Between 2002 and 2008, attempts weremade to survey all major wetlands within thethree climatic belts. Many of the wetlandsvisited were known from previous surveys(Samraoui & Mena 1999; Samraoui &Corbet 2000). Some new areas were locatedfrom maps and a few were introduced to usby conservationists. Phenological data wererecorded simply as the presence or absenceof species seen at each site during surveysmade half-monthly in Numidia and monthlyfor the Eastern Hauts Plateaux region ineach year of the study, although the birdswere also often counted. More frequentsurveys, involving at least two field-trips perweek, were undertaken by 24 people (theauthors and students) throughout thebreeding season (FebruaryAugust). Half-monthly counts (in eastern Numidia),monthly counts (in eastern Hauts Plateauxand the Sahara) and winter counts (inwestern Numidia and Jijel) were also carriedout by co-workers for a number of yearsduring the study period; these have beenreported separately for some species(Boulkhssam et al. 2006; Samraoui &Samraoui 2007). Several of the sites werelarge salt lakes, at which it is difficult toobtain a complete count of the birds presentfrom ground surveys, so only minimumnumbers were recorded.

Sampling effort was not uniform acrossthe study area. Indeed, more effort wasdevoted to wetlands in eastern Algeria,which is in part justified by the number and

diversity of habitats in that region. Somewetlands, mainly in the western part ofAlgeria, were visited only once. ChottMerouane and Oued Khrouf, althoughgrouped as a single IBA site (Coulthard2001) were judged sufficiently distinct towarrant treating them separately. Similarly,the Guerbes Senhadja wetland complexencompasses a variety of habitats (Samraoui& de Blair 1997) that have been dealt withseparately in the present assessment.

Sites were considered to be of IBAstatus if they met one of the following IBAcriteria as described in Fishpool & Evans(2001), namely that the site regularly holds:(1) species of global conservation concern(A1 criterion), (2) a significant componentof restricted range species (A2 criterion), (3)a significant component of a species whosedistribution is largely confined to one biome(A3 criterion), or (4) significant numbers ofa congregatory bird species (A4 criterion).Potential Ramsar sites were those thatmatched one of the numerical criteria of theRamsar Convention, by supporting at least20,000 waterbird species, or by regularlysupporting at least 1% of the individuals ina biogeographic population of waterbirdspecies. There is a great deal of similaritybetween IBA criteria (A1, A4i, A4ii, A4iii,A4iv, B1i, B1ii, and B1iii) and Ramsarcriteria (2, 4, 5, and 6) and it is to beexpected that most wetland IBAs wouldqualify as potential Ramsar sites. Globalthreat status and population thresholdsfollow BirdLife International (2001) andWetlands International (2006). With regardsto habitats, threats were classified as Highwhen current impact has considerablydegraded the ecological integrity of the site,



as Medium when anthropogenic impacthas brought marked changes to ecologicalprocesses, and as Low when only minorimpacts have been detected. Althoughsubjective, these categories aim to highlightthreats to important wetlands and theurgency of their protection.

Results

A total of 100 wetlands were visited duringthe surveys, at which 99 species wererecorded. Of these, 41 qualified as IBAsbecause they complied with at least one ofthe IBA criteria, including 19 already listedas IBAs (Table 1). Most of the sitesqualifying as IBAs (78%) occurred withinjust four districts: the Eastern HautsPlateaux (12 IBAs), Eastern Numidia (9IBAs), the Oran complex (5 IBAs) and theSahara (Oued Righ and El Gola; 6 IBAs).

The sites qualifying as IBAs are alignedalong three northsouth transects (Fig. 2).The eastern flyway consists of sites inNumidia, the Eastern Hauts Plateaux andthe Oued Righ valley. The central flywayencompases the Lac of Rghaa (a Ramsarsite in the Algiers region), the Lac ofBoughzoul in the Central High Plateaux,two other Ramsar sites (Zahrez Chergui etZahrez Gharbi), Oguila Dar Chioukh andLac of Gola. Thirdly, the Oran complex,Dayet El Ferd, Chott Chergui, Sebkha ofNaama and An Ben Khelil constitute awestern flyway. The diversity andconnectivity of these three flyways arecrucial for desert migrants (herons, storks,ibises, waders, ducks and passerines) thatcross the Algerian desert.

The most species-rich wetlands included

Salines (72 species; three of them breeding),Lac Fetzara (61 species), the Mekhada (49species), Timerganine and Lac des Oiseaux(each with 48 species) and Lac Tonga (46species) (Table 1). Currently Algeria has 42Ramsar sites and of these 33 are or were ofornithological interest (Table 2) with 19qualifying as IBAs. Because of insufficientsampling or prolonged drought, somespecies-rich sites did not meet IBA criteriain the present study (Table 3). Several sites,including the Lac Mellah IBA and Ramsarsite, have become degraded with aconcomitant decrease in bird diversity.

Similarly, of 99 species identified duringthe surveys (Fig. 3), 36 were seen breeding,including three species not known at thestart of the study to breed in Algeria:Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus,Slender-billed Gull Larus genei and AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta. Other species that havenot been or have rarely been recordedbreeding since the 19th century wereCommon Shelduck Tadorna tadorna, GlossyIbis Plegadis falcinellus and Red-knobbed CootFulica cristata. Waterbirds were seen breedingat 30 wetlands in northeast Algeria (i.e. notincluding terrestrial sites used by CattleEgrets Ardea ibis and White Storks Ciconiaciconia), where the main breeding areas wereEastern Numidia (7 sites with at least 5breeding species), Eastern Hauts Plateaux (4sites) and Western Numidia (3) (Table 4).The most important breeding sites, in termsof species richness, were Lac Fetzara, LakeTonga, the Mekhada marsh, Boussedra andTinsilt (Table 4). While harbouring far fewerbreeding species, Ezzemoul and Guelif caneach support over 5,000 nests (Samraoui etal. 2006; B. Samraoui unpubl. data).



Tab

le 1

.Sta

tus

ofA

lger

ian

wet

land

s qu

alify

ing

as I

mpo

rtan

t Bird

Are

as (I

BA

s).

aSi

te c

odes

for

site

s no

t lis

ted

as I

BA

s ru

n on

fro

m th

e pr

evio

us I

BA

site

cod

e.b

Site

bou

ndar

ies

used

her

e di

ffer

to th

ose

for

the

liste

d IB

As

(e.g

.the

Cho

tt M

erou

ane

and

Oue

d K

hrou

fIB

A is

trea

ted

as tw

o si

tes)

.

IBA

sit

eSi

tes

Rec

orde

dT

hrea

tsC

urre

nt s

tatu

sG

loba

l IB

A c

rite

ria

code

asp

ecie

s

DZ

001

Lac

Oub

era

(EN

)37

Med

ium

Ram

sar,

IBA

A1

(O. l

euco

ceph

ala)

,A4i

ii

DZ

002

Lac

Ton

ga (E

N)

46M

ediu

mR

amsa

r,IB

AA

1 (A

. nyr

oca,

M. a

ngus

tiros

tris,

O.

leuco

ceph

ala)

,A4i

(A. r

allo

ides

),A

4iii

DZ

005

Lac

des

Ois

eaux

(EN

)48

Med

ium

Ram

sar,

IBA

A1

(A. n

yroc

a,O

. leu

coce

phal

a)

DZ

006

Mek

hada

(EN

)49

Hig

hR

amsa

r,IB

AA

1 (A

. nyr

oca,

M. a

ngus

tiros

tris)

,A4i

(A. r

allo

ides

),A

4iii

DZ

008

Fetz

ara

(WN

)61

Med

ium

Ram

sar,

IBA

A1

(A. n

yroc

a,M

. ang

ustir

ostri

s,O

.

leuco

ceph

ala)

,A4i

(P. r

oseu

s,A

. ral

loid

es),

A4i

ii

DZ

009b

Had

j Tah

ar (W

N)

34M

ediu

mR

amsa

r (G

uerb

es),

IBA

A1

(A. n

yroc

a,O

. leu

coce

phal

a)

DZ

010

Baz

er S

akra

(EH

P)24

Low

Ram

sar,

IBA

A1

(A. n

yroc

a,M

. ang

ustir

ostri

s)

DZ

011

Cho

tt T

insi

lt (E

HP)

32M

ediu

mR

amsa

r,IB

AA

1 (A

. nyr

oca,

M.a

ngus

tiros

tris)

DZ

012

Ezz

emou

l (E

HP)

15H

igh

IBA

A4i

(P. r

oseu

s)

DZ

013

Dje

ndli

(EH

P)13

Med

ium

IBA

A1

(M. a

ngus

tiros

tris)

,A4i

(P. r

oseu

s,T.

tado

rna)

DZ

014

Gar

aet T

arf

(EH

P)17

Med

ium

Ram

sar,

IBA

A4i

(P. r

oseu

s)

DZ

015

Bou

ghzo

ul (C

HP)

32M

ediu

mIB

AA

1 (T

. fer

rugin

ea,M

. ang

ustir

ostri

s)

DZ

016

Day

et E

l Fer

d (W

HP)

29L

owR

amsa

r,IB

AA

4i (T

. fer

rugin

ea)

DZ

017

La

Mac

ta (O

C)

18M

ediu

mR

amsa

r,IB

AA

1 (L

. aud

ouin

ii)

DZ

018

Gra

nde

Sebk

ha d

Ora

n (O

C)

8H

igh

Ram

sar,

IBA

A4i

(P. r

oseu

s)

DZ

019b

Oue

d K

hrou

f(S

)33

Low

Ram

sar,

IBA

A1

(M. a

ngus

tiros

tris)

DZ

019b

Cho

tt M

erou

ane

(S)

3L

owR

amsa

r,IB

AA

4iii



DZ

030

Iles

Hab

ibas

(OC

)6

Hig

hIB

AA

1 (L

. aud

ouin

ii),A

3 (F

. eleo

nora

e)

DZ

031

Ile

Rac

hgou

n (O

C)

7H

igh

IBA

A3

(F. e

leono

rae)

DZ

032

Salin

es (E

N)

72M

ediu

mN

ot p

rote

cted

A1

(O. l

euco

ceph

ala)

DZ

033

Bou

ssed

ra (E

N)

35H

igh

Not

pro

tect

edA

1 (A

. nyr

oca,

O. l

euco

ceph

ala)

DZ

034

Sidi

Ach

our

(EN

)18

Hig

hN

ot p

rote

cted

A1

(A. n

yroc

a)

DZ

035

Dak

hla

(EN

)13

Hig

hN

ot p

rote

cted

A4i

(A. r

allo

ides

)

DZ

036

Cha

tt (E

N)

10H

igh

Not

pro

tect

edA

4i (A

. ral

loid

es)

DZ

037

Ile

Srig

hina

(WN

)3

Med

ium

Not

pro

tect

edA

3 (F

. eleo

nora

e)

DZ

038

Ben

i Bel

ad

(JC

)16

Low

Ram

sar

A1

( A. n

yroc

a)

DZ

039

Day

et M

orce

lly (O

C)

20H

igh

Not

pro

tect

edA

1 (A

. nyr

oca,

M. a

ngus

tiros

tris,

O. l

euco

ceph

ala)

DZ

040

Tim

erga

nine

(EH

P)48

Med

ium

Not

pro

tect

edA

1 (A

. nyr

oca,

M. a

ngus

tiros

tris,

O. l

euco

ceph

ala)

,

A4i

(T. f

erru

ginea

)

DZ

041

Taz

ouga

rt I

I (E

HP)

32L

owN

ot p

rote

cted

A1

(A. n

yroc

a,M

. ang

ustir

ostri

s)

DZ

042

Cho

tt H

odna

(EH

P)24

Hig

hR

amsa

rA

1 (T

. fer

rugin

ea,M

. ang

ustir

ostri

s)

DZ

043

Bou

lehi

let (

EH

P)23

Hig

hN

ot p

rote

cted

A1

(M. a

ngus

tiros

tris,

O. l

euco

ceph

ala)

DZ

044

Gue

lif(E

HP)

22H

igh

Ram

sar

A4i

(T. t

ador

na,A

. recu

rviro

stra,

H.

him

anto

pus,

L. g

enei,

S. n

ilotic

a)

DZ

045

Taz

ouga

rt I

(EH

P)12

Low

Not

pro

tect

edA

1 (O

. leu

coce

phal

a)

DZ

046

Ank

Djm

el (E

HP)

5M

ediu

mR

amsa

rA

4i (P

. ros

eus)

DZ

047

Ogu

ila D

ar C

hiou

kh (C

HP)

9U

nkno

wn

Not

pro

tect

edA

4i (T

. fer

rugin

ea)

DZ

048

Bou

ghra

ras

rese

rvoi

r (W

HP)

13M

ediu

mN

ot p

rote

cted

A1

(O. l

euco

ceph

ala)

DZ

049

Sebk

ha o

fN

aam

a (W

HP)

3M

ediu

mR

amsa

rA

4i (T

. fer

rugin

ea)

DZ

050

Mer

ja H

amra

a I

(S)

28M

ediu

m

Not

pro

tect

edA

1 (A

. nyr

oca,

M.a

ngus

tiros

tris)

DZ

051

Sidi

Am

rane

(S)

19M

ediu

mN

ot p

rote

cted

A1

(M. a

ngus

tiros

tris)

DZ

052

Mer

ja H

amra

a I

I (S

)15

Low

Not

pro

tect

edA

1 (M

. ang

ustir

ostri

s),A

4i ( T

. fer

rugin

ea)

DZ

053

Lac

dE

l Gol

a (S

)12

Med

ium

Ram

sar

A1

(A. n

yroc

a),A

4i (T

. fer

rugin

ea)



Figure 2. The location of sites in Algeria qualifying as Ramsars sites (empty circles), IBAs (filledsquares) and sites fulfilling the criteria for both designations (filled circles). Site codes relate to the codesgiven in Table 1 and Table 2.

Algeria

Algiers1-3,5,6

53

R40,R42

51R41

250km

4,7R2232-36

8

937

R21

11, 14, 44, 4641, 45

1950, 52

R20

38

12, 13, 40, 43

R04

15

16

48

49

10

R1647 42R15R27, R29

R30, R31

31

30

39

17, 18

R36, R37

R35

Daet Tiour



Table 2. Ramsar sites of ornithological importance in Algeria.

Ramsar Site name Year designated IBA status, or reasons why the site code as a Ramsar site site not included as an IBA

R01 Lac Tonga (EN) 1982 IBAR02 Lac Oubera (EN) 1982 IBAR03 Lac des Oiseaux (EN) 1999 IBAR04 Chott Chergui (WHP) 2001 Insufficient samplingR05 Guerbes (WN) 2001 IBA (Hadj Tahar)R06 Chott Hodna (EHP) 2001 Meets IBA criteriaR09 Chott Merouane et Oued 2001 Two IBAs

Khrouf (S)R10 Macta (OC) 2001 IBAR12 Grande Sebkha dOran (OC) 2001 IBAR15 Zehrez Chergui (CHP) 2003 DroughtR16 Zehrez Gharbi (CHP) 2003 Insufficient samplingR19 Mekhada (EN) 2003 IBAR20 Chott Melghir (S) 2003 DroughtR21 Lac de Rghaa (AR) 2003 Insufficient samplingR22 Lac Noir (EN) 2003 Degraded (de Blair & Samraoui, 1994)R24 Lac de Bni Blad (JC) 2003 Meets IBA criteriaR26 Fetzara (WN) 2003 IBAR27 Sebkhet Hamiet (EHP) 2004 Insufficient samplingR28 Bazer Sakra (EHP) 2004 IBAR29 Beda Bordj (EHP) 2004 Insufficient samplingR30 Ank Djmel et Maghssel (EHP) 2004 Meets IBA criteriaR31 Guelif (EHP) 2004 Meets IBA criteriaR32 Chott Tinsilt (EHP) 2004 IBAR33 Garaet Tarf (EHP) 2004 IBAR34 Dayet El Ferd (WHP) 2004 IBAR35 An Ben Khelil (WHP) 2004 DroughtR36 Salines dArzew (OC) 2004 Insufficient samplingR37 Lac de Telamine (OC) 2004 Insufficient samplingR38 Lac Mellah (EN) 2004 Degraded due to hydrological

changesR39 Lac dEl Gola (S) 2004 Meets IBA criteriaR40 Sidi Khouiled (Chott Oum 2004 Insufficient sampling

Raneb) (S)R41 Chott Sidi Slimane (S) 2004 DroughtR42 Chott An El Beda (S) 2004 Drought/degraded



Figure 3. Species observed in the coastal region (continuous line) and the Hauts Plateaux (dotted line)during the surveys.



Tab

le 3

.Spe

cies

-ric

h si

tes

whi

ch d

id n

ot q

ualif

y as

an

IBA

bas

ed o

n da

ta r

ecor

ded

durin

g th

e pr

esen

t sur

vey.

Site

sR

ecor

ded

Thr

eats

Cur

rent

sta

tus

Rea

sons

not

mee

ting

spec

ies

Ram

sar/

IBA

cri

teri

a

Bou

khm

ira (E

N)

38L

owN

ot p

rote

cted

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

Gar

aet M

Ham

ed (W

N)

26L

owR

amsa

r (G

uerb

es),

IBA

Aer

ial s

ampl

ing

need

ed

Oum

El G

hele

z (O

C)

22M

ediu

mN

ot p

rote

cted

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

Lac

Mel

lah

(EN

)18

Med

ium

Ram

sar,

IBA

Deg

rade

d

Maf

ragh

est

uary

(EN

)18

Hig

hN

ot p

rote

cted

Deg

rade

d

Lac

de

Reg

haa

(AR

)16

Med

ium

Ram

sar

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

Jem

ott (

EH

P)16

Low

Not

pro

tect

edIn

suffi

cien

t sam

plin

g

Sidi

Mak

hlou

f(W

N)

16M

ediu

mR

amsa

r (G

uerb

es),

IBA

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

Chi

chay

a (W

N)

15M

ediu

mR

amsa

r (G

uerb

es),

IBA

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

Gue

lb (W

N)

15M

ediu

mR

amsa

r (G

uerb

es),

IBA

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

Sidi

Cha

hmi (

OC

)13

Hig

hN

ot p

rote

cted

Deg

rade

d

Sidi

Sal

em b

each

(EN

)12

Hig

hN

ot p

rote

cted

Deg

rade

d

Che

kaka

(WN

)12

Unk

now

nN

ot p

rote

cted

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

Bou

cif

(EH

P)12

Med

ium

Not

pro

tect

edD

roug

ht

Tin

dla

(S)

12L

owN

ot p

rote

cted

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

An

Mak

hlou

fre

serv

oir

(G)

11L

owN

ot p

rote

cted

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

Bek

ouch

e L

akhd

ar (G

)11

Low

Not

pro

tect

edIn

suffi

cien

t sam

plin

g

Men

goub

(OC

)11

Unk

now

nN

ot p

rote

cted

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

Cho

tt C

herg

ui (W

HP)

11U

nkno

wn

Ram

sar

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing

Oue

d Se

ybou

se I

I (G

)10

Med

ium

N

ot p

rote

cted

Insu

ffici

ent s

ampl

ing



The timing of the occurrence of eachspecies in Algeria (with the exception of theRed-crested Pochard Netta rufina, noted onlyin the Sahara) is shown in Fig. 3. Over thelast decade, individuals of a number ofspecies (White Stork, Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides, Black-crowned Night HeronNycticorax nycticorax and Whiskered TernChlidonias hybridus) have been recorded over-wintering in coastal wetlands. Small groupsof other species (Great Egret Ardea alba andEurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia) havebegun to spend the summer in the samecoastal wetlands or in the Hauts Plateaux(Glossy Ibis and Black-headed Gull Larusridibundus).

The species of greatest conservationconcern found breeding in Algeria wereMarbled Teal, White-headed Duck,Audouins Gull, and Eleonoras Falcon(Table 5). All known breeding sites ofAudouins Gull (the offshore rocky islandsof Ile Rachgoun, Iles Habibas and KefAmor) have been degraded throughpollution, human disturbance, and thepresence of rats and other predators. In allof these islands, an increase in thecommensal Yellow-legged Gull Larusmichahellis has corresponded with a decline inAudouins Gull numbers (Isenmann &Moali 2000). Both Little Crake Porzana parvaand Eurasian Spoonbill bred over a centuryago at Lake Fetzara but we were unable toconfirm their breeding during the studyperiod (Table 5). The Great Bittern Botaurusstellaris is thought to have bred at Mekhadamarsh in 2005 and at Lake Fetzara in 2006,on the basis of a number of singing males.This bird is now thought to be a rareresident breeder in Tunisia (Isenmann et al.

2005), and possibly no longer breeds inMorocco (Thvenot et al. 2003).

Ducks were among the most dispersedof the wetland birds (Table 6). Lake Fetzaraand numerous salt lakes across the HautsPlateaux (Timerganine, Chott Tinsilt, ChottHodna and Bazer Sakra) and the Sahara(Chott Merouane, Oued Khrouf and ElGola) held large flocks of several thousandmigrant ducks such as Northern ShovelerAnas clypeata, Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelopeand Northern Pintail Anas acuta (B.Samraoui unpubl. data). Although breedingwas widely recorded for Ferruginous Duck (9/35 sites) and Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus (9/47 sites) (Table 6),only a few sites (Tonga and Fetzara for theformer, in favourable years; Guelif andTazougart II for the latter) hold hundreds ofnests. Partly due to persecution (bothspecies being highly prized by hunters andpoachers), Greylag Geese Anser anser andCommon Crane Grus grus were found inlarge numbers (several thousand birds) atonly a few sites in the coastal region(Mekhada and Lake Fetzara) and in theHauts Plateaux (Marshel and Dayet ElFerd), respectively.

Discussion

The present study is the first to presentcomprehensive survey data on breeding andwintering habitats of Algerian wetland birdssince the seminal work of Heim de Balsac &Mayaud (1962). It also supports and extendsthe previous work of Coulthard (2001),which provided the first assessment ofImportant Bird Areas (IBAs) of Algeria, andupdates data provided by Coulthard (2001)



Tab

le 4

.Not

ewor

thy

bree

ding

site

s in

nor

thea

st A

lger

ia.

Site

sN

o.ye

ars

No.

ofSp

ecie

s re

cord

ed b

reed

ing

(no.

ofye

ars

bree

ding

)vi

site

dbr

eedi

ngdu

ring

the

spec

ies

surv

eys

Fetz

ara

(WN

)3

23Po

dicep

s rufi

colli

s (3)

, P. c

rista

tus (

3), I

xobr

ychu

s min

utus

(3),

Nyc

ticor

ax n

yctic

orax

(2),

Ard

eola

rallo

ides

(3),

Ard

ea ib

is (3

),E

grett

a ga

rzett

a (3

), A

rdea

cine

rea

(1),

Ard

ea p

urpu

rea

(3),

Cico

nia

cicon

ia (3

),Pl

egad

is fa

lcine

llus (

3),A

nas p

latyr

hync

hos (

3),M

arm

oron

etta

angu

stiro

stris

(2),

Ayth

ya n

yroc

a (3

),O

xyur

aleu

cocep

hala

(3),

Ral

lus a

quat

icus (

1),G

allin

ula

chlor

opus

(1),

Porp

hyrio

por

phyr

io (3

), F

ulica

atra

(3),

Gla

reola

pra

tinco

la (3

),H

iman

topu

s him

anto

pus (

2),R

ecurv

irostr

a av

osett

a (1

),St

erna

nilo

tica

(2)

Lac

Ton

ga (E

N)

717

Podi

ceps

rufi

colli

s(7)

, P. c

rista

tus(

7), I

xobr

ychu

s min

utus

(7),

Nyc

ticor

ax n

yctic

orax

(7),

Ard

eola

ra

lloid

es (7

), A

rdea

ibis

(7),

Egr

etta

garz

etta

(7),

Ard

ea p

urpu

rea

(7),

Pleg

adis

falci

nellu

s (6)

,Ana

spl

atyr

hync

hos (

7),A

ythy

a ny

roca

(7),

Oxy

ura

leuco

ceph

ala

(7),

Circ

us a

erug

inos

us (1

),G

allin

ula

chlo

ropu

s (7)

,Por

phyr

io p

orph

yrio

(7),

Ful

ica a

tra (7

),C

hlid

onia

s hyb

ridus

(7)

Mek

hada

(EN

)3

13Po

dice

ps r

ufico

llis (

3) ,

P. cr

istat

us (3

),N

yctic

orax

nyc

ticor

ax (3

),A

rdeo

la ra

lloid

es (3

),A

rdea

ibis

(3),

Egr

etta

garz

etta

(3),

Ard

ea p

urpu

rea

(1),

Cico

nia

cicon

ia (3

),A

nas p

laty

rhyn

chos

(1),

Ayt

hya

nyro

ca(1

),C

ircus

aer

ugin

osus

(1),

Porp

hyrio

por

phyr

io (1

),F

ulica

atra

(3)

Bou

ssed

ra (E

N)

312

Podi

ceps

rufi

colli

s (3)

,P. c

rista

tus (

3),I

xobr

ychu

s min

utus

(3),

Ard

eola

rallo

ides

(1),

Ard

ea ib

is (1

),A

nas p

laty

rhyn

chos

(3),

Ayt

hya

nyro

ca (2

),O

xyur

a leu

coce

phal

a (2

),C

ircus

aer

ugin

osus

(1),

Gal

linul

ach

loro

pus (

3),P

orph

yrio

por

phyr

io (3

),F

ulica

atra

(3)

Tin

silt

(EH

P)2

11Po

dicep

s nigr

icolli

s (1)

,Tad

orna

ferr

ugin

ea (1

),T.

tado

rna

(2),

Ana

s pla

tyrh

ynch

os (1

),A

ythy

a ny

roca

(1),

Ful

ica a

tra (2

),H

iman

topu

s him

anto

pus (

1),R

ecurv

irostr

a av

osett

a (1

),C

hara

driu

s alex

andr

inus

(2),

Lar

us ge

nei (

1),S

terna

nilo

tica

(1)



Lac

des

Ois

eaux

(EN

)2

9Po

dice

ps r

ufico

llis (

2),P

. cris

tatu

s (2)

,Ixo

bryc

hus m

inut

us (2

),A

rdea

pur

pure

a (2

),C

iconi

a cic

onia

(2),

Ayt

hya

nyro

ca (1

),G

allin

ula

chlo

ropu

s (2)

,Por

phyr

io p

orph

yrio

(1),

Ful

ica a

tra (2

)

Dak

hla

(EN

)3

9N

yctic

orax

nyc

ticor

ax (2

),A

rdeo

la ra

lloid

es (2

),A

rdea

ibis

(2),

Egr

etta

garz

etta

(2),

Ard

ea ci

nere

a (2

),A

rdea

pur

pure

a (2

),Pl

egad

is fa

lcine

llus (

1),C

ircus

aer

ugin

osus

(2),

Porp

hyrio

por

phyr

io (1

)

Cha

tt (E

N)

37

Ard

eola

rallo

ides

(3),

Ard

ea ib

is (3

),E

grett

a ga

rzett

a (3

),A

rdea

pur

pure

a (3

),C

iconi

a cic

onia

(3),

Pleg

adis

falci

nellu

s (2)

,Ana

s pla

tyrh

ynch

os (1

)

Ile

Rac

hgou

n (O

C)

16

Cal

onect

ris d

iom

edea

(1),

Ard

ea ib

is (1

),E

grett

a ga

rzett

a (1

),Pa

ndio

n ha

liaetu

s (1)

,Fal

co el

eono

rae (

1),

Lar

us m

ichah

ellis

(1)

Tim

erga

nine

(EH

P)2

6Po

dice

ps r

ufico

llis (

2),P

. cris

tatu

s (2)

,Ixo

bryc

hus m

inut

us (1

),A

rdeo

la ra

lloid

es (1

),A

nas p

laty

rhyn

chos

(1),

Ful

ica a

tra (2

)

Sidi

Ach

our

(EN

)1

6Po

dice

ps r

ufico

llis (

1),I

xobr

ychu

s min

utus

(1),

Ard

ea ib

is (1

),A

nas p

laty

rhyn

chos

(1),

Porp

hyrio

po

rphy

rio (1

),F

ulica

atra

(1)

Gue

lif(E

HP)

26

Tado

rna

tado

rna

(2),

Him

anto

pus h

iman

topu

s (2)

,Recu

rviro

stra

avos

etta

(2),

Cha

radr

ius a

lexan

drin

us(2

),L

arus

gen

ei (2

),St

erna

nilo

tica

(2)

Taz

ouga

rt I

I (E

HP)

16

Tado

rna

tado

rna

(1),

Him

anto

pus h

iman

topu

s (1)

,Recu

rviro

stra

avos

etta

(1),

Cha

radr

ius a

lexan

drin

us(1

),A

nas p

laty

rhyn

chos

(1),

Ful

ica a

tra (1

)

Iles

Hab

ibas

(OC

)1

5C

alon

ectris

dio

med

ea (1

),Ph

alac

roco

rax

arist

oteli

s (1)

,Fal

co el

eono

rae (

1),L

arus

aud

ouin

ii (1

),L

arus

mich

ahell

is (1

)

Had

j Tah

ar (W

N)

25

Podi

ceps r

ufico

llis (

2),I

xobr

ychu

s min

utus

(1),

Ard

ea p

urpu

rea

(1),

Porp

hyrio

por

phyr

io (2

),F

ulica

atra

(2)

Sidi

Mak

hlou

f(W

N)

25

Podi

ceps r

ufico

llis (

2),A

ythy

a ny

roca

(1),

Gal

linul

a ch

lorop

us (2

),Po

rphy

rio p

orph

yrio

(2),

Ful

ica a

tra (2

)



Table 5. Status of breeding and migrant waterbirds using Algerian wetlands. Numbers inbrackets represent recorded sites (for migrants) or breeding sites/total sites where the specieswas recorded (for breeding species). EN, VU and NT indicate species listed by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered, vulnerable and nearthreatened, respectively.

Species recorded as rare migrants Localised breeding species

Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus (1) Little Crake Porzana parva (0/3)

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina (1) Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris (0/6)

Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator (1) Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia (0/13)

Spotted Crake Porzana porzana (1) Common Tern Sterna hirundo (1/2)

Red Knot Calidris canutus (1) Little Tern Sterna albifrons (1/3)

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola (1) European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis (1/3)

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres (1) Audouins Gull Larus audouinii (1/4) NT

White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus (1) Water Rail Rallus aquaticus (1/9)

Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus (1) Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus (1/11)

Eurasian Dotterel Charadrius morinellus (1) Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis (1/12)

Black Stork Ciconia nigra (2) Marbled Duck Marmoronetta angustirostris (1/18) VU

European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria (2) Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus (1/40)

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica (2) Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata (2/2)

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus (2) Osprey Pandion haliaetus (2/9)

Little Gull Larus minutus (2) Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea (2/15)

Caspian Tern Sterna caspia (2) Grey Heron Ardea cinerea (2/45)

Eurasian Oystercatcher Heamatopus ostralegus (3) Eleonoras Falcon Falco eleonorae (3/4)

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola (3) Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola (3/6)

Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus (3) Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica (3/13)

Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus (3) White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala (3/14) EN

Lesser-crested Tern Sterna bengalensis (3) Slender-billed Gull Larus genei (3/15)

Corys Shearwater Calonectris diomedea (4/7)

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus (4/15)

Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna (4/34)



on the status of sites degraded throughanthropogenic pressure. Results confirmedthe importance of Algerian wetlands foravian biodiversity in providing key winteringsites, staging areas and breeding habitats.With a few notable exceptions (for instanceLedant et al. 1981; Isenmann & Moali 2000),past surveys were sporadic and rarely coveredthe whole of Algeria. The data presentedhere indicate that a reassessment of theornithological value of Algerian wetlands isoverdue by demonstrating that some areasare hot-spots for waterbird species.

Of 100 wetlands surveyed, 41 qualifiedas IBAs, and most of these were clumpedinto five major clusters: Numidia (includingboth eastern and western parts), the EasternHauts Plateaux (including the Oum ElBouaghi salt lakes complex and the ElEulma wetland complex), the Oran wetlandcomplex (extending through the regions ofOran, An Temouchent, Mostaganem andTlemcen), the Western Hauts Plateaux andthe Sahara (Oued Righ valley and El Gola).Numidia offers a mosaic of habitats ofvarious depth, vegetation cover and salinity,

Table 6. Highly dispersed wetland birds in Algeria. NT indicates species listed as nearthreatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Widespread breeding species in Algeria Highly dispersed migrant species

Common Coot Fulica atra (19/53) Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata (47)

Cattle Egret Ardea ibis (14/58) Common Pochard Aythya ferina (33)

White Stork Ciconia ciconia (11/35) Eurasian wigeon Anas penelope (31)

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (10/53) Common Teal Anas crecca (30)

Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca (9/34) NT Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos (30)

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus (9/46) Northern Pintail Anas acuta (29)

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis (9/42) Gadwall Anas strepera (27)

Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio (8/19) Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus (27)

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides (8/15) Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago (25)

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea (7/13) Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus (22)

Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus (7/9) Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (21)

Great-crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus (7/34) Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia (20)

Little Egret Egretta garzetta (7/44) Little Stint Calidris minuta (17)

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus (6/34) Common Redshank Tringa totanus (14)

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax (6/11) Great Egret Ardea alba (13)

Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus (6/27) Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus (13)

providing valuable breeding or winteringsites for birds in the region. Species-richwetlands included sites such as Salines, LacFetzara, Lac Tonga, and the Mekhada. Theformer is a discarded salina bordered by awadi (Oued Boukhmira), close to theseashore. It harbours a dozen basinsexhibiting different water depth, makingthem attractive to various species of gullsand waders. The latter three sites are, withthe Macta, the largest freshwater marshes ofAlgeria. Worthy of special note are sites likeIle Rachgoun, Iles Habibas, Timerganine,G. Hadj Tahar and Boussedra. Theornithological importance of these threelatter sites and that of Salines has previouslybeen overlooked.

Previous assessment of keyornithological sites, based on the AfricanWaterbird Census and other data, identifieda total of 31 Important Bird Areas (IBAs)within Algeria (Coulthard 2001). Over halfof all the IBAs (22) were wetlands locatedmostly in the Tell region and the HautsPlateaux. Coulthard (2001) also identifiedtwo major clusters of internationalimportance to migratory and resident birds:the El Kala complex and the salt lakecomplex of Oum El Bouaghi. When boththe present assessment and that ofCoulthards (2001) are taking into account, atotal of 53 sites (44 wetlands) qualify asIBAs in Algeria. Cheffia Reservoir did notreached IBA criteria in our survey despitetwo visits to the site. It had been included asan IBA on the basis of a record number ofEurasian Wigeon (95,000 individuals in1974; Smart 1974). Lac Mellah and BouRedim also did not qualify for IBA status in our survey, both sites having

been considerably degraded followinghydrological changes in recent years.Another IBA, the poorly known Garaet ElHaaies, possibly a temporary daya (i.e. asmall depression holding water) located inthe Erg Occidental (Coulthard 2001), wasnot sampled in the present study.

Over the last 25 years, the Algeriangovernment has introduced several pieces oflegislation as part of its strategy for theconservation of natural resources. This hasled to the creation of Natural Reserves,Marine Reserves, Ramsar sites, NationalParks and Biosphere Reserves. Yet of the 41wetlands that on the basis of data recordedin the surveys would qualify as IBAs, 16 arenot protected by national and internationallegislation. Many of the sites that meet theIBA criteria, such as Boussedra (noteworthyfor breeding and/or wintering Little Bittern,Great Bittern, Ferruginous Duck andWhite-headed Duck) and Sidi Achour(which also has Ferruginous Duck in winter)are being lost due to land-filling. There werealso high level threats to several species-richsites which did not qualify for IBA status:Mafragh estuary, Sidi Chahmi, and SidiSalem beach. Other wetlands included in thesurvey found to be of less importance forwaterbirds, such as Lac Bleu or several ofthe seasonal ponds (mare Gauthier, mareFeid and Garaet Estah) could neverthelessqualify as Ramsar sites. They are the lastsanctuaries for endemic fish such asPseudophoxinus callensis or the amphibiansPleurodeles poiretii and P. nebulosus (Veith et al. 2004). They also house a richmacroinvertebrate fauna with severalAfrotropical relicts including the dragonfliesUrothemis edwardsii, Acisoma panorpoides and





Diplacodes lefebvrii (Samraoui et al. 1993), theBelostomid Hydrocyrius columbiae or the water beetles Cybister senegalensis and C.bipunctatus. More sampling effort is neededto evaluate other sites which have in the pastproved most interesting; for instance, a totalof 37 Slender-billed Curlews Numeniustenuirostris was recorded at Chott El Frain inthe 1980s (Gretton 1991).

Of the breeding birds, the greatestthreat is perhaps to the globally near-threatened Audouins Gull and to othercoastal species such as the Common TernSterna hirundo and Little Tern Sterna albifrons. Open-air refuse dumps appear tobenefit Yellow-legged Gulls, and an increasein Yellow-legged Gull numbers hascorresponded with a decline in theAudouins Gull (Isenmann & Moali 2000).Over-fishing and proliferation of rats andother mammals is thought to have had anegative impact on other marine birdsbreeding in Algeria (Bayle & Fernandez1992; Martin et al. 2000). The site of the only(outlier) colony of the Common Tern hasrecently been developed as a beach resort.Two known breeding sites for Little Tern in northeast Algeria (Salines and the Mafragh) have also undergone extensivedevelopment. The introduction ofCommon Carp Cyprinus carpio at LacOubera has had a major effect on the localfauna and vegetation (Samraoui 2002).Some piscivorous birds (Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, Purple Heron Ardea purpurea andGreat White Egret Egretta alba) may, on theother hand, have benefited from theexpansion of carp which have now invadedmost waterbodies. Hunting pressure onwaterbirds is largely not documented within

the country but is considered neither asextensive nor as important as in southernEurope. Although no species is restricted toa particular belt, some (Common Crane andGreater Flamingo) are most common in theHauts Plateaux where they are clearlytargeted whereas geese and ducks are thetraditional quarry in the north. Pressure onbreeding birds, especially colonial birds isparticularly high with egg pilfering anddisturbance putting traditional breeding sitesat risk (Saheb et al. 2006).

The commonest species are those ableto use freshwater as well as brackish andeven saline habitats, and the widespreaddistribution of Northern Shoveler, Mallard,Black-winged Stilt and Greater Flamingocan be partly explained by the nature of thewetland habitats which predominate acrossthe region. With the exception of Numidiain the extreme northeast of Algeria, whichhouses mostly freshwater habitats, the vastmajority of Algerian wetlands are brackishor salty, and thus can only be exploited bysalt-tolerant waterbirds. As salt lakes are thedominant wetland type outside the coastalregion, salt-tolerant species may befavoured. This is most true for breedingspecies such as ibises where nestlings may bemore sensitive to salt (Bildstein 1993). TheFerruginous Duck also appears to have awide spectrum of breeding habitats andmicrohabitats (including alder carrs, SaltCedar Carex elata trees, islets with willowSalix sp. and stands of Yellow Flag Irispseudoacorus) and is thus relativelywidespread.

The survey data indicated that wadersare among the least widespread of the birdsin Algeria. This may be partly due to their



long-distance migrations, with the birdsmaking only brief halts at Algerian wetlands.Inadequate records may also be a factor,however, as large numbers of plovers andlapwings are regularly observed at LacFetzara and thousands of waders use the saltlakes across the Hauts Plateaux.

With the exception of resident birds,Algerian waterbirds follow one of threemain dispersal patterns during the year. Thefirst involves Palearctic birds (many speciesof ducks and waders) which breed innorthern Europe and visit Algeria duringmigration or over winter. The second isundertaken by waterbirds such as PurpleHeron, Squacco Heron, Black-crownedNight Heron and Little Bittern that winterin sub-Saharan regions but move to Algeriato breed. The third movement, the leastmarked, involves species such as Avocet andMarbled Teal that are displaced seasonally tothe Sahara to winter and return to the HautsPlateaux to breed.

The findings of the present studydemonstrate that diverse regions such as theHauts Plateaux and the Sahara provide keyhabitats which are significantly moreimportant for the conservation of migratorybirds than previously thought. A full surveyis required for the western part of Algeria,which should be based on a completeanalysis of the distribution of wetlands,patterns of habitat use, pending threats andhuman activities. Special attention should bepaid to wetland connectivity in the light ofpending global changes (Amat et al. 2005).Urgent measures are needed, however, toprotect internationally important habitatsfrom human pressure. This could beachieved by creating core areas within

connected Biosphere Reserves, centred onhot-spot clusters of major wetlands. Thesituation at Lake Fetzara highlights thisissue; the avifauna of this vast marsh hasbeen known since the 19th century (Heimde Balsac & Mayaud 1962), and draining thesite in the 20th century is thought to havereduced its ornithological value (Ledant et al.1981). The survey found that Lake Fetzara isstill one of the most important sites formigrant and breeding waterbirds within theWest Mediterranean Basin, but it is threatenedby land reclamation despite its status asRamsar site. Daet Tiour, which lies betweenBeni Abbes and Bchar, was a key site formigrants on their way to cross the Sahara,but the damming of Oued Guir subjected itto prolonged drought and land reclamation.The case of Garaet Boulehilet is similar tothat of Daet Tiour; the construction of areservoir on its main tributary is thought tohave had a negative effect on its ornithologicalpotential, but the site still plays a major rolefor wintering waterbirds whenever it isrefilled. Garaet Ezzemoul, one of the mainbreeding grounds for the Greater Flamingoin the West Mediterranean Basin (Samraouiet al. 2006) and the site where the CriticallyEndangered (CR) Slender-billed CurlewNumenius tenuirostris was last recorded inAlgeria (Bellamy et al. 1990) is anotherexample. Efforts are being made to providelegal protection to Garaet Ezzemoul and itsneighbouring saline lakes and to preventexcessive hydrological changes. We hopethat national and international legislationwill be brought in swiftly for the effectiveprotection of networks of key wetlandselsewhere in Algeria, including thoseidentified in this study.



Acknowledgements

We thank Eileen Rees, Mark OConnell and MikeSmart for many suggestions which greatlyimproved the manuscript. We are most gratefulto members of the Laboratoire de Recherche desZones Humides and in particular to R. Mena forthe valuable help provided. We are indebted todirectors and staff of National Parks, andConservation des Forts of many wilayas whofacilitated this survey. We also thank the AlgerianMinistre de lEnseignement Suprieur et de la Recherche Scientifique, lA.N.D.R.U.,lO.N.E.D.D. and we are grateful to LucHoffmann and the MAVA foundation formaterial support.

References

Amat, J.A., Rendon, M.A., Rendon-Martos, M.,Garrido, A. & Ramirez, J.M. 2005. Rangingbehaviour of greater flamingos during thebreeding and post-breeding periods: linkingconnectivity to biological processes. BiologicalConservation 125: 183192.

Bayle, P. & Fernandez, O. 1992. Protection ofCorys shearwater Calonectris diomedea bylimitation of a population of feral rabbitOryctolagus cuniculus on Frioul archipelago(Marseille, France). Avocetta 16: 6770.

Bellamy, P., Elliot, G. & Trubridge, M. 1990.Slender-billed curlews in Algeria? Anornithological survey of the ChottsConstantinois, 16 January6 February 1990.Unpublished report to the Royal Society forthe Protection of Birds, RSPB, Sandy, UK.

Bildstein, K. L. 1993. White Ibis: Wetland Wanderer.Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington,D.C., USA.

BirdLife International 2001. Important Bird Areasand potential Ramsar Sites in Europe. BirdLifeInternational, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Boulekhssam, M., Houhamdi, M. & Samraoui, B.2006. Population dynamics and diurnalbehaviour of the Shelduck Tadorna tadorna inthe Hauts Plateaux, northeast Algeria.Waterfowl 56: 6578.

Coulthard, N.D. 2001. Algeria. In L.D.C.Fishpool & M.I. Evans (eds.), Important Birdareas in Africa and associated islands: priority sites for conservation, pp. 5170. BirdLifeConservation Series No. 11, PiscesPublications and BirdLife International,Newsbury and Cambridge, UK.

Fishpool L.D.C. & Evans M.I. (eds.) 2001.Important Bird Areas in Africa and associatedislands: priority sites for conservation. BirdLifeConservation Series No. 11, PiscesPublications and BirdLife International,Newsbury and Cambridge, UK.

Gretton, A. 1991. Conservation of the slender-billedcurlew. International Council for BirdPreservation Monograph No. 6, ICBP,Cambridge, UK.

Heim de Balsac, H. & Mayaud, N. 1962. Lesoiseaux du Nord-Ouest de lAfrique. PaulLechevalier, Paris, France.

Isenmann, P. & Moali, A. 2000. Birds of Algeria.Socit dEtudes Ornithologiques de France.Paris, France.

Isenmann, P., Gaultier, T., El Hili, A., Azafzaf,H., Dlensi, H. & Smart, M. 2005. Oiseaux deTunisie. Centre National du Livre.

Jacob, J.P. & Jacob, A. 1980. Nouvelles donnessur lavifaune du lac de Boughzoul (Algrie).Alauda 48: 209220.

Ledant, J.P., Jacobs, J.P., Jacobs, P., Malher, F.,Ochando, B. & Roch, J. 1981. Mise jour delavifaune algrienne. Gerfault 71: 295398.



Martin, J.-L., Thibault, J.-C. & Bretagnolle, V.2000. Black rats, island characteristics andcolonial nesting birds in the Mediterranean:Current consequences of an ancientintroduction. Conservation Biology 14:14521466.

Saheb, M., Boulkhssam, M., Ouldjaoui, A.,Houhamdi, M. & Samraoui, B. 2006. Sur lanidification du Flamant rose Phoenicopterusroseus en 2003 et 2004 en Algrie. Alauda 74:368371.

Samraoui, B. 2002. Branchiopoda (Ctenopodaand Anomopoda) and Copepoda fromeastern Algeria. Hydrobiologia 470: 173179.

Samraoui, B. & de Blair, G. 1997. The Guerbes-Senhadja wetlands. Part I: An overview.Ecologie 28: 233250.

Samraoui, B. & de Blair, G. 1998. Les zoneshumides de la Numidie orientale. Bilan desconnaissance et perspectives de gestion.Synthse 4: 190.

Samraoui, B. & Corbet, P.S. 2000. The Odonataof Numidia, northeast Algeria. Part I: statusand distribution. International Journal ofOdonatology 3: 1125.

Samraoui, B. & Mena, R. 1999. A contribution tothe study of Algerian Odonata. InternationalJournal of Odonatology. International Journalof Odonatology 2: 145165.

Samraoui, F. & Samraoui, B. 2007. Thereproductive ecology of the Coot Fulica atraL. in the Hauts Plateaux, northeast Algeria.Waterbirds 30: 133139.

Samraoui, B., Benyacoub, S., Mecibah, S. &Dumont, H.J. 1993. Afrotropical libellulids

(Insecta: Odonata) in the lake district of elKala, north-east Algeria, with a rediscoveryof Urothemis e. edwardsi (Selys) and Acisoma panorpoides ascalaphoides (Rambur).Odonatologica 22: 365372.

Samraoui, B., Ouldjaoui, A., Boulkhssam, M.,Houhamdi M., Saheb, M. & Bchet, A. 2006.The first recorded reproduction of theGreater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus inAlgeria: behavioural and ecological aspects.Ostrich 77: 153159.

Smart, M. 1974. Midwinter count in Algeria,February 1974. Bull. International WaterfowlResearch Bureau 37: 8687.

Spaans, B., van Dijk, G., van Der Kamp, J. &Treep, F. 1976. Les oiseaux nidificateurs deszones humides de lest de lAlgrie,printemps 1976. Wageningen, polycopi.

Stevenson, A.C., Skinner, J., Hollis, G.E. &Smart, M. 1988. The El Kala National Parkand environs, Algeria: an ecologicalevaluation. Environmental Conservation 15:335348.

Thvenot, M., Vernon, R. & Bergier, P. 2003. Thebirds of Morocco. British Ornithologists Union,Peterborough, UK.

Veith, M., Mayer, C., Samraoui, B., DonaireBarroso, D. & Bogaerts, B. 2004. FromEurope to Africa and vice versa: evidence formultiple intercontinental dispersal in ribbedsalamanders (Genus Pleurodeles). Journal ofBiogeography 31: 159171.

Wetlands International. 2006. Waterbird PopulationEstimates Fourth Edition. WetlandsInternational, Wageningen, The Netherlands.



Appendix 1. Wetland sites visited during the study. Numbers relate to the location of eachsite in Fig. 2.

I. Eastern Numidia (EN), which includes theEl Kala-Annaba wetlands (Samraoui & Blair1998):

1. Boussedra (3651.26N, 0743.82E): atemporary pond close to El Bouni, covered withScirpus maritimus, Typha angustifolia, Scirpus lacustrisand Tamarix gallica. The site is being land-filledand, over the last two years, has lost >25% of itssurface area.

2. Sidi Achour (3652.79N, 0743.54E): atemporary marsh at the southern fringe ofAnnaba. The vegetation includes Tamarix gallica,Typha angustifolia, Juncus acutus. The site is in theprocess of being land-filled (Samraoui et al. 2007).

3. Salines (3650.34 N, 0747.46E): abandonedsalt pans almost devoid of aquatic vegetationdominated by Salicornia europea. The site wassubjected to major hydrological changes in mid-2003.

4. Lac Bleu (3654.70 N, 0820E): a permanentdune slack covered with Nymphaea alba, Phragmitesaustralis, Ceratophyllum demersum, Iris pseudoacorus.Human encroachment seriously threatens thisunique relict wetland (Samraoui et al. 1993).

5. Lac Tonga (3652N, 0831E): a shallow lakecovered with Nymphaea alba, Phragmites australis,Iris pseudoacorus, Typha angustifolia, Scirpus lacustris,Salix sp. Fish farming and exotic fish are pendingthreats which may undermine the ecologicalintegrity of Lac Tonga.

6. Lac Oubera (3650N, 0823E): a shallow lakecovered with Trapa natans, Myriophyllum spicatum,Ceratophyllum demersum, Phragmites australis, Typhaangustipholia and Scirpus lacustris. Introduced carphave altered the trophic web of this Ramsar site(Samraoui 2002).

7. Mekhada (3648N, 0800E): an extensivemarsh of 16,000 ha covered with Scirpusmaritimus, Scirpus lacustris, Scirpus triqueter, Typhaangustifolia and Phragmites australis. The building ofthe Mexenna dam and a new road which crossesthe marsh will increase the anthropogenicpressure on this Ramsar site.

8. Lac Mellah (3654N, 0819E): a lagoon of800 ha.

9. G. Estah (3650.56N, 0758.94E): a duneslack covered with Nymphaea alba, Phragmitesaustralis, Scirpus lacustris and Iris pseudoacorus. Waterextraction is a recurrent problem for this site.

10. G. Dakhla (3650.67N, 0759.08E): a duneslack covered with Nymphaea alba, Salix cinerea,Typha angustifolia, Phragmites australis, Scirpuslacustris, Iris pseudoacorus. The surroundingvegetation is rapidly being stripped down and thesite is subjected to periodic fires.

11. Lac Okra (3650.83N, 0810.79E): a duneslack covered with Paspalidium obtusifolium, Typhaangustifolia.

12. Oued Seybouse I (Annaba): the second majorwadi of Algeria. It was sampled at two stations:Annaba and Guelma.

13. Sidi Kaci: a marsh just north of the village ofSidi Kaci.

14. Chatt (3649.81N, 0754.68E): a marsh ofless than 2 ha dominated by Typha angustifolia andIris pseudoacorus.

15. Sebaa (3649.73N, 0800.67E): an alder carrnorth of the Mekhada marsh and sandwichedbetween the inundated plain and the coastaldunes.



16. Lac des Oiseaux (3647N, 0807E): afreshwater pond of 70 ha covered with Scirpuslacustris and Typha angustifolia.

17. Bou Redim (3647N, 0813E): a freshwatermarsh covered with Scirpus lacustris, Carex elataand Alnus glutinosa.

18. Oued Boukhmira: The estuary of a wadi,north of Salines, with dense stands of Phragmitesaustralis.

19. Khoud El Barouk: a dunary slack north ofDakhla covered with Carex elata and Scirpuslacustris. The site has since been claimed foragriculture.

20. Mafragh: an estuary of two major wadi, OuedEl Kebir and Oued Bounamoussa, north of theMekhada marsh.

21. Cap de Garde: cliffs overhanging offshorerocks near Cape de Garde, north of the town ofAnnaba.

22. Cap Sigleb: Offshore rock outcrop close toCape Sigleb, near the Tunisian border.

In addition to the main wetlands of EasternNumidia, a number of temporary ponds (26)were visited monthly over a period of 5 years.

II. Western Numidia (WN), including LacFetzara and the Guerbes-Senhadja wetlands(Samraoui & Blair 1997):

23. Lac Fetzara (3648N, 730E): an extensivemarsh criss-crossed with drainage canals. Thevegetation is mainly composed of Scirpusmaritimus, Typha angustifolia, Phragmites australis andTamarix gallica. There have been several attemptsto drain this important site.

24. G. Hadj Tahar (3651.77N, 0715.96E): apond covered with Nymphaea alba, Scirpus lacustrisand Phragmites australis. Water extraction is themajor threat.

25. G. Mhamed (3657 N, 0716.02 E): a brackishmarsh, extensively covered by Salicornia europea.

26. G. Loughat (3650N, 0717E): a seasonalmarsh.

27. G. Bouina (3653.49N, 0717.57E): a dunaryslack.

28. G. Chichaya (3653.79N, 0718.23E): aseasonal marsh.

29. G. Messaoussa: a seasonal marsh.

30. G. Chekaka: a seasonal pond.

31. Sidi Lakhdar (3654.80N, 0712.09E): aseasonal pond.

32. G. Guelb (3653.17N, 0718.46E): aseasonal marsh.

33. G. Khedidja (3652.08N, 0720.94E): a duneslack.

34. Islet of Srigina, Skikda (365615.88N,065309.60E): a rocky islet off Skikdas Storaharbour. Disturbance by tourists may increase inthe future.

35. Ouajaa (3653.290N, 0718.960E): a marshcovered with Scirpus lacustris, Typha angustifolia anda row of Salix cinerea.

36. Kef Amor (3705.064N, 0719.894E):formerly known as Ile de St. Piastre, a rocky isletoff Chetaibis harbour.

III. Guelma wetlands (G):

37. Oued Seybouse II (Guelma): Oued Seybouseclose tot he town of Guelma with stands ofTypha angustifolia and Tamarix gallica borderingits banks.

38. Hammam Debagh reservoir (3628.07N,0731.55E): a dam on Oued Hammam Debaghalmost devoid of vegetation along its shore.

39. Bekhouche Lakhdar reservoir (3638.07N,0717.00E): a dam.



40. Majen Belhariti (3626.19N, 075.24E): afreshwater pond covered with submergedvegetation.

41. Beljoudi dam (3613.54N, 7012.48E, 956 ma.s.l.): a small reservoir near Beljoudi.

42. An Makhlouf Reservoir (3613.41N,0717.78E, 816 m a.s.l.).

IV. Jijel complex (JC) (Blair & Samraoui 2000):

43. Lac de Beni Belad (365232.55N,060607.69E): a shallow lake.

44. G. Kennar (3649N, 0556E): a marshy areasubjected to heavy water extraction.

V. Algier region (AR):

45. Lac de Rghaa (3645.77N, 0320.42E):a shallow lake threatened by industrial pollution.

VI. Oran complex (OC):

46. Sidi Chahmi (3540.20N, 0031.78W).

47. Oum El Ghelez (Lac des Gharabas)(3536.238N, 024.791W).

48. Salines of Arzew (3541.880N,0017.082W): a salt pan.

49. La Macta (3542.550N, 0010.944W): anextensive marsh.

50. Mengoub (3543.828N, 0000.489W).

51. Lac de Telamine (3543.924N, 0022.972W).

52. Dayet El Bagrat (3532.862N, 0033.670W).

53. Grande Sebkha of Oran (35N, 00W): a saltlake.

54. Dayet Morcelly (Petit Lac dOran,3540.182N, 0036.794W): a heavily pollutedlake with an adjacent marsh.

55. Iles Habibas (3543.405N, 017.845W): Tworocky islets (Gharbia and Charguia) 20 km offthe coast of Oran.

56. Ile de Rachgoun (3519.445N, 0128.764W):A rocky islet off the Tafnas estuary and twosatellite islets (Siga and Pain de Sucre).

57. Ouled El Kihel reservoir (3521.151N,0113.611W).

58. Mkhassia reservoir (3518.081N,0115.912W).

59. Water treatment plant of Sidi Safi(3517.158N, 0119.502W).

60. Boughrara reservoir (3453.482N,0139.886W).

61. Beni Bahdal reservoir (3442.426N,0130.203W).

VII. Eastern High Plateaux (EHP), whichincludes mainly the Hauts Plateaux, southwest ofConstantine:

62. G. Tarf (3542N, 0708E): an extensive saltlake of 25,000 ha mainly fed by OuedBoulefreiss. The building of dams and reservoirsconstitutes the major and recurrent problem formost Algerian salt lakes.

63. G. Guelif (3547.200N, 0700.00E): a saltlake of 5,525 ha.

64. G. Ank El Djmel (3546.298N, 0652.00E):a salt lake of 8,550 ha.

65. Chott Tinsilt (3553.619N, 0630.000E): asalt lake of 3,600 ha.

66. G. Ezzemoul (3553.137N, 0630.200E): asalt lake of 6,000 ha.

67. G. Boucif (3547.211N, 0704.991E): abrackish lake.

68. Foum El Guess: a shallow reservoir.

69. Chott Djendli (Boumia) (3542.000N,0631.554E): a salt lake.



70. Tazouguert I (3521.04N, 0716.042E): asalt lake.

71. Tazouguert II (3523.777N, 0719.920E): asalt lake.

72. Timerganine (3534.655N, 0658.275E): anoligohaline pond with Phragmites australis, Scirpusmaritimus, S. triqueter.

73. Jemott (3538.708N, 0700.825E): a brackishwetland.

74. G. Marshel (3548.528 N, 0644 437E): a saltlake.

75. G. Boulehilet (3544.699N, 0647.431E): afreshwater pond.

76. Zaher (Chott Melah) (353643.18N,070226.06E ): a complex of satellite salt lakessouth-west of Garaet Tarf.

77. Sebkha Bazer Sakra (3604.385N,0539.216E): a salt lake.

78. Beda Bordj (3556.046N, 0544.362E): saltlake.

79. El Fran (3555.292N, 0536.714E): a saltlake.

80. Sebkhat El Hamiett (An El Hadjar)(3555.444N, 0531.927E): a salt lake.

VIII. Central High Plateaux (CHP)

81. Chott El Hodna (3521.076 N, 0432.513E):a salt lake.

82. Oguila Dar Chioukh (3452.413N,0327.124E): a salt pan.

83. Zahrez Gharbi (3457.382N, 0248.838E): asalt lake.

84. Sebkha of Boughzoul (3541.384N,0250.264E): a salt pan.

85. Boughzouls reservoir (3544.910N,0246.622E): subjected to major and rapid

hydrological change; this impedes its ecologicalfunction and value.

IX. Western High Plateaux (WPC)

86. Chott Chergui (3403.376N, 0005.164W): avast salt lake.

87. Sebkha of Naama (3317.953N,0013.722W): a salt lake.

88. Dayet El Ferd (3430.416N, 0113.959W): abrackish lake.

X. Sahara (S):

89. Outaya reservoir (3507.700N, 0536.323E):a reservoir on the northern fringe of the Sahara.

90. Merja Hamraa I (3406.223N, 0614.784E):a brackish wetland covered with Phragmitesaustralis.

91. Merja Hamraa II (3405.588N, 0620.667E):a salt lake.

92. Chott Melghir (3410.631N, 0617.322E): asalt lake.

93. Chott Merouane (3402.433N, 0558.748E):a salt lake.

94. Oued Khrouf (3353.451N, 0601.921E): amarshy area.

95. Tindla (3339.781N, 0602.815E): a salt pan.

96. Sidi Amrane (3329.87N, 0559.38E): a saltlake.

97. Merjaja (3303.43N, 0603.97E): adepression bordered with Phragmites australis.

98. Temacine (3301.04N, 0601.44E): Abrackish pond.

99. Sidi Khouiled (3202.91N, 0522.14E): a saltlake heavily polluted by sewage from the town ofOuargla.

100. Ed Gola (3031.778N, 0256.302E): a saltlake.

algerian wetlands

Documents