Bahrain

Asia

120

Documented species

Parks and reserves

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Bahrain is a low, arid archipelago in the Persian Gulf whose name means two seas, in reference to the freshwater springs that welled up beneath the salt sea and that for thousands of years supported palm groves, agriculture and one of the largest pearling industries in the world. Those springs have largely run dry through over-extraction from the aquifers, and today the interior is above all stony desert, with the famous Tree of Life growing alone in the middle of nowhere. The country's natural wealth is marine: pearl oyster beds, seagrass meadows and shallow bottoms where dugongs and turtles feed. To the south, the almost uninhabited Hawar archipelago is a nature reserve and one of the most important seabird sites in the whole Gulf.

The nature of Bahrain

National animal: The Arabian oryx, the country's national animal

Did you know?

The Hawar islands hold the largest breeding colony in the world of the Socotra cormorant, a seabird exclusive to the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea that nests on the ground at enormous densities. Tens of thousands of pairs gather there every winter, to the point that a very significant share of the entire world population of the species depends on a handful of islets in this archipelago.

Biodiversity profile

Peninsula Arabiga (Oriente Medio, archipielago insular)Menos del 3% de tierra cultivable en el pais, contexto que enmarca la estrategia nacional de biodiversidad centrada en recursos marinos

Climate

•Desertico calido (BWh), veranos muy calurosos y humedos, inviernos suaves

Main biomes

•Desierto insular con vegetacion escasa
•Bancos de ostras naturales en aguas costeras (produccion historica de perlas)
•Isla y bajío del golfo Pérsico
•Pradera marina
•Banco de ostras perleras
•Sabka hipersalina
•Desierto pedregoso
•Manglar costero
•Manantial submarino

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•Habitats de ostras perliferas de renombre internacional
•Una de las mayores poblaciones de dugongo del mundo tras Australia (compartida con Qatar y EAU)
•Mayor colonia reproductora mundial del cormoran de Socotra

Flagship wildlife

•Dugongo
•Cormoran de Socotra (mayor colonia de cria del mundo)
•Avutarda hubara (globalmente amenazada)
•Aves marinas migratorias (mas de 330 especies registradas)
•Órix de Arabia
•Flamenco común
•Tortuga carey
•Gacela árabe
•Charrán bengalí
•Zorro del desierto
•Águila pescadora
•Ostión perlero

Notable endemic species

•Dato no disponible con precision de especies estrictamente endemicas en fuentes verificadas consultadas; el valor de Bahrein reside principalmente en poblaciones regionalmente significativas de especies marinas compartidas con el Golfo

Notable threatened species

•Avutarda hubara (globalmente amenazada, presente en el archipielago)
•Dugongo (Vulnerable, una de las mayores concentraciones del mundo tras Australia)

Notable protected areas

•Zonas de proteccion de bancos de ostras y colonias de aves marinas costeras
•Islas Hawar
•Reserva de Al Areen
•Bahía de Tubli
•Árbol de la Vida
•Bancos perleros de Bulthama
•Isla de Jarim

Main conservation threats

•Cambio climatico, subida del nivel del mar, acidificacion oceanica y sequia
•Desarrollo urbano sobre tierras agricolas limitadas
•Presion sobre recursos marinos de los que depende gran parte del PIB del pais

Notable natural phenomena

•Bahrein alberga la mayor colonia de cria mundial del cormoran de Socotra

Conservation

Coastal land reclamation has drastically reduced the shallow bottoms and the mangroves of Tubli bay. The historic pearl oyster beds are protected as a World Heritage Site for their cultural and ecological value.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Hawar between October and March for Socotra cormorants and seabirds. Tubli bay in winter for flamingos and waders. The southern waters for dugongs and turtles.

Sources: UNEP - Bahrain shows the way to protect biodiversity in its region

Desert Islands