1. The Mediterranean population of the Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus is expanding in particular thanks to the increase in numbers in the western part of the basin. Several new colonies have emerged over the past twenty years in Europe and a new colony was discovered in 2004 in Algeria at Garaet Ezzemoul (Samraoui et al. 2006). This discovery came when the flamingos were no longer breeding in Morocco and very sporadically in Tunisia.
2. In 2004, nearly 8,500 pink flamingos nested on the islet of Garaet Ezzemoul, but reproduction failed due to human intrusion (collecting eggs). In 2005, the reproduction of more than 6,000 flamingos on the same site could be completed with nearly 5,000 fledged chicks. The success of this attempt was only possible through diligent guarding. Breeding was successful again in 2006 and 2009 with a maximum of 11,500 pairs in 2009. The Greater Flamingo was successful in breeding for the first time in 2009 on a sandy islet in the Sebkha of El Goléa.
3. The pink flamingo overwintering in Algeria is regular and numbers are closely linked to water availability. Peaks of 18,000, 21,800 and 59,000 individuals were observed in the Oum El Bouaghi complex for three consecutive winters between 2002 and 2005
4. To reproduce, flamingos need an island surrounded by water deep enough to deter terrestrial predators. The Greater Flamingo being a long-lived species, its populations can be maintained by reproduction once every three years.
5. Pink Flamingos feed on seeds of aquatic plants, benthic and aquatic invertebrates. Their reproduction depends on the summer explosion of aquatic invertebrates, in particular Artemia tunisiana and Branchinella spinosa which have been found to be sympatric in the Garaet Ezzemoul.
6. Threats likely to directly affect the population are mainly egg collection, hunting and predation by aerial and ground predators.
7. Local threats likely to indirectly affect the population are mainly disturbance, intensification of agriculture (construction of hill dams) and inadequate irrigation, climate change and pollution. On a larger scale, the threats likely to indirectly affect the Algerian population are the abandonment of salt flats and the destruction of habitats in the Mediterranean.
8. The goal of this plan is to perpetuate the wintering and reproduction of the flamingos in Algeria by proposing a series of specific actions to:
- Maintain the watering capacities of the Sebkhas that the flamingos use for wintering. and reproduction and
- Protecting attempts at reproduction of the Greater Flamingo from disturbance and terrestrial predators, in particular on two target sites, constituting the two known breeding colonies of this species in Algeria, the Garaet Ezzemoul and the Sebkha d’El Goléa.
Translated from : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255781265_Plan_d’action_pour_le_Flamant_rose_Phoenicopterus_roseus_en_Algerie
By Hope
