| Souss-Massa | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to the centre of the park at Sidi R'bat | |
  | |
| Location | Morocco |
| Coordinates | 30°04′30″N9°40′12″W / 30.075°N 9.670°W /30.075; -9.670 |
| Area | 338 km2 (131 sq mi) |
| Established | 1991 |
| Official name | Zones humides de Souss-Massa |
| Designated | 15 January 2005 |
| Reference no. | 1487[1] |
TheSouss-Massa National Park (Parc National de Souss-Massa) is a 33,800 hectarenational park on the Atlantic coast ofMorocco which was created in 1991. It lies betweenAgadir to the north andSidi Ifni to the south. The estuary of theOued Souss is the northern limit of the park, theOued Massa is near the center, and at the southern end is the town ofAglou. 30,000 ha of land nearAglou, south of the park, is also included in the site because it is sometimes used as a feeding area by thenorthern bald ibis. The habitat is grazedsteppe with dunes, beaches and wetlands. The soil is mainly sandy with some rockier areas.[2]
The park's main conservation importance is that it holds three of the four Moroccan colonies of thenorthern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita). Together with the fourth site at nearby Tamri, it holds 95% of the world's truly wild breeding birds of this endangered species.[3][4] The ibis colonies and roost-sites are located on coastal cliffs within the National Park, and the coastal steppes and fields are used as feeding areas. The park has a nature trail at Oued Souss and a visitor centre at Oued Massa.[2]
The park is encompassed by the 63,800 ha Parc National de Souss-Massa and AglouImportant Bird Area (IBA), so designated byBirdLife International because it supports significant populations of many bird species.[5] The Oued Massa holds water throughout the year and has breedingmarbled ducks, a globally threatened species.[2][6] It is the only known Moroccan breeding site for theglossy ibis. The two estuaries are important for migrants, especially waders and gulls.European spoonbill andAudouin's gull winter in the park. Other notable breeding bird species arered-necked nightjar,thick-billed lark,Tristram's warbler andMoussier's redstart.[2]
Souss-Massa also holds captive-breeding programmes for four threatened North Africanungulates:scimitar oryx,addax,dama gazelle anddorcas gazelle, that are kept in separate enclosures within the park. The reintroduction of theNorth African ostrich - which is extinct north of the Sahara - is also underway.[7]
The park is threatened by pressures of the growing human population and the construction of an increasing number summer chalets around Aglou. A large-scale hotel development that had been planned for the coast at Tifnit, an area that includes important feeding areas for the bald ibis, has been suspended.[2]
In regard to international cooperation and exchanges, the Souss-Massa National Park has received technical support from theTeide National Park (Tenerife, Spain).[8]