Site: Hawar Islands

Designation date: 27-10-1997

Coordinates: 25°40'N 050°50'E

Elevation: 0 m - 20 m

Area: 5,200 ha

Location: Hawar Islands is located in the Gulf of Bahrain, 25 km southeast of the main island. [Bahrain's designation of Hawar Islands has been disputed by diplomatic notification by the State of Qatar.]

Criteria: 1 ,2 ,5 ,8

Importance: The area harbours the globally threatened dugon Dugong dugon. The area is very important as a breeding area for seabirds. The area is a very important migration and wintering area for birds, especially shorebirds. The area harbours one of the world's largest concentrations of Phalacrocorax nigrogularis. The mudflats are the second largest wintering area for Phoenicopterus ruber in Bahrain. Over 50,000 Larus ridibundus were observed in 1990. The rich inshore waters support a wide variety of fishes.

Wetland Types: G ,E ,D (dominant types shown in bold)

The site consists of an archipelago of small desert islands and islets surrounded by shallow seas with extensive seagrass beds.

Biological/Ecological notes: The subtidal areas support extensive beds of seagrasses Halodule sp. and Halophila sp. Sandy areas above the high-water marks support halophytes such as Halopeplis amplexicaulis, Halocnemum strobilaceum and Suaeda sp. Scattered boulders form a good substrate for many sessile animals including tube worms and sponges. The mudflats support a rich invertebrate fauna of polychaetes, bivalves and others. These provide food for thousands of wading birds at low tide and food for fishes at high tide. Crabs including Macrophthalmus sp., occur at very high densities.

Hydrological/Physical notes: The Hawar Islands are an archipelago of 16 small, limestone, desert islands and islets in the Gulf of Bahrain. Some of the islands are hilly, with cliffs up to 20-30 m high. Other islands are flat and sandy with gently sloping shores. The largest island, Hawar, covers more than 4,100 ha. The surrounding seas are shallow, with depths of less than 5 m in most areas. The sheltered shores feature scattered boulders, pebbles and sand. The tidal regime is semi-diurnal, with maximum spring tide not exceeding 2.5 m.

Human Uses: The islands are mostly uninhabited except for a military garrison. Local fisherfolk are allowed to fish in adjacent waters. There is some recreational fishing and diving. There is a hotel on Hawar Island. Several surveys of the breeding birds have been undertaken. The bird Falco concolor has been subject to a bird ringing project. A remote sensing study has been conducted to study the habitats surrounding the islands.

Conservation Measures: Six small islands have been designated as protected areas. There is a proposal to study and monitor the ecological features of the islands, in addition to a proposed action plan for protection and awareness building (1998).

Adverse Factors: No adverse factors reported.

Site Management: No information provided.

External Link:

Based on the 1998 Ramsar Information Sheet.