Central Marshes (CM) (IBA 038)

Transcription

1 Central Marshes (CM) (IBA 038) Surveyed in winter and summer from 2005 to 2010 Admin Area: Thi-Qar KBA Criteria: V & Ie IBA Criteria: A1, A2, A3, A4i, A4ii, & A4iii Coordinates: N 31º 00 E 47º 00 IPA Criteria: A5 & B1, and C Area: 132,000 ha Status: Unprotected Altitude: less than 10 m Ecoregion: Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh Directional information: About 65 km east of Nasiria city and north of the towns of Chibaish and Medeina. The northwestern area can be reached through Al-Islah town (30 km northeast Nasiria city), while the southeast corner of the area is located 5 km northwest of Medeina sub-district.

2 View facing west of Zichri marsh, eastern Central Marshes (Photo by Mudhafar A. Salim, 2006) Abu-Zirig marsh (180 ) facing north, western Central Marshes (Photo by Mudhafar A. Salim, 2009) Site Description: Historically, the Central Marshes comprised a vast complex of mostly permanent freshwater marshes, with scattered areas of open water, located to the west of the River Tigris and north of the River Euphrates (within Basra, Thi-Qar, and Missan provinces) and represented many diverse habitats from seasonal to permanent marshes. Evans (1994) described a marsh system fed by both rivers but today, even after re-flooding of some areas, many of the connections from the Tigris remain severed. The Central Marshes are now restricted to two areas: Chibaish marshes, north of Chibaish city, and Abu Zirig marsh to the northwest; the two areas are still connected. Chibaish marshes were formerly freshwater marshes with many open areas and deep water (more than 3 m) but nowadays are brackish with very dense submerged and emergent vegetation and shallow water. Eutrophication has led to oxygen depletion and fish mortality in the last few years. The open water area is adjacent to the road on the east and surrounded by reedbeds in other directions; patches of reeds are also scattered inside the area. Small beds of Typha domingensis (reedmace) and Schoenoplectus litoralis also occur close to the road. The bed of the open-water areas is covered by submerged plants, but most of them are decayed. Seven inlets from the Euphrates feed Chibaish marshes and they serve as an outlet when the water level in the Euphrates falls below that in the marshes. Due to the sharp reduction in water levels in the Euphrates during 2009 and 2010, the Ministry of Water Resources, in collaboration with the local governments, constructed an embankment on the Euphrates in early summer 2010 and diverted the water flow completely towards the Central Marshes.

3 Abu Zirig, on the western side of the Central Marshes is a freshwater marsh with good water flow and discharge. The water source is from the Al Gharraf River, a branch of the Tigris, and controlled by the Kut regulator. Water depth ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 m or more in the main rivers and waterways. It is close to Al-Islah city, southeast of Nasiria city. This area suffers from significant human disturbance such as reed harvesting, fishing, and bird hunting. Abu Zirig is known for the presence of dense vegetation in some areas, mainly Phragmites australis and Typha domingensis. It contains a canal extending north to south approximately 2 m deep and bordered on two sides by reedbeds 2-3 m or more in height. There are areas close to the reed beds with dense and decayed submerged plants, and there is a narrow band in the middle where the current is strongest without plants and deeper than the rest of area. Fieldwork concerning the bird and fish populations at this site has been conducted since 2004 as a part of the New Eden Project. The other natural conditions in this marsh are good comparatively due to the availability of a stable and continuous amount of water. The Central Marshes, with their mix of landscapes (including open water, dense reedbeds and mudflats) are very important for birdlife. They are a key area for wintering waterbirds, especially the globally Vulnerable Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris and an important breeding area for the restricted-range and endemic Basra Reed Warbler Acrocephalus griseldis, Iraq Babbler Turdoides altirostris, and the Iraqi subspecies of Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis iraquensis. Thirteen sub-sites were surveyed, distributed throughout the Central Marshes. Some sites were visited in , while others were not visited due to the difficulties in reaching them when they were turned into either dry or muddy areas. Most of the surveys were concentrated in areas that did not dry out or only dried partially. The following table shows the 13 sub-sites in the Central Marshes that were surveyed at different seasons (2005 to 2010). # Nearest Town Site Name Site Code Old Site Codes Coordinates North East 1. Chibaish Baghdadiya, South CM1 IBA Al Fuhood Fuhood, North CM10 IBA Abu Zirig Abu Zirig CM16 IBA Al Fuhood Muwayjid Area CM17 IBA Al Fuhood Abu Zirig, South near Al Fuhood CM18 IBA Chibaish Hmaara Al Kabira CM2 IBA Chibaish Hmaara Al Kabira, Eastern CM3 IBA Chibaish Baghdadiya, West CM4 IBA Al Mdeina Zichri CM5 IBA Chibaish Subaytiya CM6 IBA Chibaish Khnayziiri CM7 IBA Chibaish Abu An Narsi CM8 IBA Hammaar Town Hammaar Town Area CM9 IBA

4 Important Bird Area Criteria A1. Globally threatened species Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris Basra Reed Warbler Acrocephalus griseldis A2. Restricted-range species Acrocephalus griseldis Observation made Unless stated otherwise numbers are estimates based on extrapolations using area/transect counts and area of known habitat. (see methodology on p. XX) pairs (counts) (counts) 3000 pairs. (based on sample counts and c.7,000 ha of reedbeds being suitable for breeding) pairs Iraq Babbler Turdoides altirostris A3. Biome-restricted species Sahara-Sindian Desert White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus Spotted Sandgrouse Pterocles senegallus Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis Acrocephalus griseldis Turdoides altirostris Dead Sea Sparrow Passer moabiticus 1500 pairs (counts ) pairs (counts) (counts) 14 pairs (counts 2006) Exist but not counted 6-11 pairs (counts); not seen pairs (counts ) 6-12 (counts ) 3000 pairs 1500 pairs (counts ) 6000 pairs 7000 (counts); not seen in 2007 A4i. 1% or more of biogeographical population of a congregatory waterbird species

5 Marmaronetta angustirostris pairs (counts) (counts) A4ii. 1% or more of global population of a congregatory seabird or terrestrial species. Passer moabiticus 6000 pairs 7000 (counts); not seen in 2007 A4iii. Holding congregations of 20,000 waterbirds or 10,000 pairs of seabirds of one or more species. Congregatory Waterbirds Up to 74,000 (counts) Additional Important Bird Observations: During the surveys 94 bird species were observed. In addition to those listed in the table, two Vulnerable species, Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga and Eastern Imperial Eagle A. heliaca were found wintering, as well as four Near Threatened species: Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca (summer and winter), Pallid Harrier Circus cyaneus, Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata and Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa (passage and winter), but in sub-iba threshold numbers. The endemic race of Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis iraquensis breeds widely. Other Important Fauna: Data were collected , but with more focused attention in The southen marshes lie at the centre of the distribution of an isolated subspecies of smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli. Its status and distribution have been unclear due to confusion with the Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra (Near Threatened), which also occurs in the region. Recent surveys (Omer et al. 2012, Al-Sheikhly and Nader 2013) have confirmed the presence of smoothcoated otter in parts of the southern marshes for the first time since the 1950s-1960s and it is likely that this species occurs in the Central Marshes too, as well as other parts of the Tigris wetlands and marshes on both sides of the Iran-Iraq border. Some notable common mammals found during the KBA surveys (and according to local reports) were: Rüppell's Fox Vulpes rueppellii, Jungle Cat Felis chaus and Wild Cat Felis silvestris. Due to the availablility of food and shelter, it seems that the Central Marshes area provide good habitat for the Endangered Rafetus euphraticus. Tessellated Water Snake Natrix tessellata (Least Concern but with decreasing population) was also found. Fish: Data were collected from 2005 through 2007 and again in 2009, during which 15 species were found. Species of economic importance, according to Coad (2010), were: Acanthobrama marmid, Alburnus mossulensis, Carassius auratus, Cyprinus carpio, Cyprinion kais, and Heteropneustes fossilis. Additionally the following species of conservation concern that are also economically important were: Acanthopagrus latus, Aspius vorax, Carasobarbus luteus, Luciobarbus xanthopterus, Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi, Liza abu, Liza klunzingeri, and Tenualosa ilisha. The population of one species, Silurus triostegus, appears to be increasing. It is not fished commercially (scaleless) but is of ecological importance as a predator in the marshes and its conservation status in Iraq is not well understood. Plants & Habitats: Forty-four aquatic plant species and 16 terrestrial species were observed within and arround the Central Marshes. Four types of aquatic habitat were observed:

6 1- Inland running water, river or canal, 2- Inland standing water- aquatic communities- rooted submerged vegetation, free floating vegetation, and rooted floating vegetation, 3- Marsh vegetation- helophytic vegetation- reedbed, reedmace bed, and Schoenoplectus bed, and 4- Fooded communities periodically or occasionally flooded land The site was rated between 3 to 5 on the ecological scale due to the drying of the marsh. The slope is flat. The geology is Mesopotamian alluvium, mainly silts. Conservation Issues: Natural systems modification and human disturbance were the highest threats and ranked very high. Construction of dams upstream on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have a serious effect on this site, which suffers from a severe lack of water, especially in when the water dropped to critical levels, destroying habitats by causing huge areas of wetland and reedbeds to dry out. Hunting pressure is severe in some areas, and despite the extensive area of dense reed beds where ducks can hide, it still suffers from high levels of disturbance.. Four threats were scored high : urban intensification, unsustainable hunting & fishing, economic activities, and pollution. Agricultural intensification and road construction were scored as low. Though the KBA team did not assess the threats caused by invasive species, during surveys between 2005 and 2010, it was obvious from examining the regular fish catch that introduced and invasive Tilapia spp. (Familly: Cichlidae) have been released or somehow reached the area. By the end of the survey period, Tilapia spp. formed the majority of the catch for most fishermen in the Central Marshes, displacing many of the native species. Recommendations: This site (especially the proposed National Park area (2010a, 2010b)) is a key part of the southern marshes complex and needs a stable and adequate water supply and effective protection from hunting and disturbance to maintain its biodiversity value. It is recommended to enact the legislation and designate the Central Marshes as a National Park. Thorough surveys of the flora and fauna should be continued. It is also highly recommended to strengthen the relationship with the locals of the area and pay more attention to those who are keen in protecting their marsh by creating a Local Conservation Group (LCG) for better implementation of any conservation program. References Al-Sheikhly, O.F. and Nader, I.A. (2013). The status of the Iraqi smooth-coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata, Hayman 1956 and Eurasian otter Lutra lutra, Linnaeus 1758 in Iraq. IUCN Otter SG Bulletin 30(1): Evans, M. I. (1994). Important Bird Areas in the Middle East. Birdlife Conservation Series No. 2. New Eden Project for Integrated Water Resources (2010a). Mesopotamia Marshland National Park Management Plan. Site Description. The New Eden Project for Integrated Water Resources. New Eden Project for Integrated Water Resources (2010b). Mesopotamia Marshland National Park Management Plan. Strategies and Objectives. The New Eden Project for Integrated Water.

7 Omer, S. A., Wronski, T., Alwash, A., Maha H. E., Mohammed, O. B., Lerp, H. (2012). Evidence for persistence and a major range extension of the Arabian Smooth-coated Otter, Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli (Mustellidae, Carnivora) in Iraq. Folia Zoologica.