Jabboul Lake…Unique Location for Migratory Birds

(ST) – Syria has enjoyed more than a dozen sites that can be called “wetland sites”. The most important site is the Jabbul marsh recognized by the International Convention for the Protection of Wetlands (RAMSAR).

The Jabbul (Lake) marsh is located in the southeast of the city of Aleppo, away from the city center about 40 kilometers, and a total area is 262200 hectares. The lake is formed from several springs located on the edges of the lake , as well as direct rainwater on its surface and the surrounding valleys, such as the valley of gold.

Since old times, the lake has formed a habitat for many forms of wildlife, as an important global site for migratory birds and a source of nutrition of the most important bird ‘flamingo’. Many of the fish species and endangered wild animals live in and around the lake.

The area is distinguished by a vegetation cover including papyrus and reeds plants, in addition to local species of plants that grow in the Jabbul marsh, which make the lake a breeding ground for birds. The lake, over time, has become a station for birds to take a break and feed during their migration and evolved to be the breeding grounds for some types of birds.

The lake as a wetland site is of great importance for migratory birds by the International Convention on Wetlands ” RAMSAR”. Expert, Akram Issa Darwish, Vice-President of the Syrian Society for the Protection of Wildlife underlined that the lake supports 20,000 of waterfowls. 

The lake regularly supports 1% and more of the numbers of birds within the migration path. It is also an important site for migratory waterfowls breeding, Mr. Darwish added.

Sh. al -Khatib