Editing Qattara Depression (section)

==Ecology==
[[File:Qattara Depression (March 2007).jpg|thumb|View of the Qattara Depression]]
[[File:Sand Dunes (Qattara Depression).jpg|thumb|Sand dunes in the Qattara Depression]]
[[File:Qattara_Depression_R01.jpg|thumb|upright|Northwestern escarpment edge of the Qattara Depression; left: the El Diffa Plateau]]

Groves of umbrella thorn acacia (''[[Vachellia tortilis]]''), growing in shallow sandy depressions, and ''[[Phragmites]]'' swamps represent the only permanent vegetation. The acacia groves vary widely in [[biodiversity]] and rely on runoff from rainfall and groundwater to survive. The [[Moghra Oasis]] in the northeastern part of the Depression has a {{cvt|4|km2|mi2|adj=on}} brackish lake and a ''Phragmites'' swamp.<ref name=Hughes>Hughes, R. H. and J. S. Hughes. 1992. ''A Directory of African Wetlands''. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. {{ISBN|2-88032-949-3}}.</ref><ref>Nora Berrahmouni and Burgess, Neil. 2001. {{WWF ecoregion|id=pa0905|name=Saharan halophytics}}</ref>

The southwestern corner of the depression is part of the Siwa Protected Area which protects the wild oasis in and around the [[Siwa Oasis]].

The Depression is an important habitat for the [[cheetah]], with the largest number of recent sightings being in areas in the northern, western and northwestern part of the Qattara Depression, including the highly isolated, wild oases of Ain EI Qattara and Ein EI Ghazzalat and numerous acacia groves both inside and outside the depression.<ref name="Cheetah">{{cite journal | url=https://doi.org/10.1515/mamm.2001.65.2.177 | doi=10.1515/mamm.2001.65.2.177 | title=The Cheetah, ''Acinonyx jubatus'' (Schreber, 1776) in Egypt (Felidae, Acinonychinae) | year=2001 | last1=Saleh | first1=M.A. | last2=Helmy | first2=I. | last3=Giegengack | first3=R. | journal=Mamm | volume=65 | issue=2 | pages=177–194 | s2cid=84527196 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>

[[Gazelle]]s (''Gazella dorcas'' and ''Gazella leptoceros'') also inhabit the Qattara Depression, being an important food source for the cheetah. The largest gazelle population exists in the southwestern part of the Qattara Depression within a vast area of [[wetlands]] and soft sand. The area of {{cvt|900|km2|mi2}}, includes the wild oases of Hatiyat Tabaghbagh and Hatiyat Umm Kitabain, and is a mosaic of [[lake]]s, [[salt marsh]]es, [[scrubland]], wild [[Arecaceae|palm]] groves and ''[[Desmostachya bipinnata]]'' [[grassland]].<ref name="Cheetah" />

Other common fauna include the [[Cape hare]] (''Lepus capensis''), [[golden jackal|Egyptian jackal]] (''Canis aureus hupstar''), [[Rüppell's fox|sand fox]] (''Vulpes rueppelli'') and more rarely the [[fennec fox]] (''Vulpes zerda''). [[Barbary sheep]] (''Ammotragus lervia'') were once common here but now they are few in number.

Extinct species from the area include the [[scimitar oryx]] (''Oryx dammah''), [[addax]] (''Addax nasomaculatus'') and [[bubal hartebeest]] (''Alcelaphus buselaphus'').<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://doi.org/10.1017/S0952836902003394 | doi=10.1017/S0952836902003394 | title=Decline of the Barbary sheep ( ''Ammotragus lervia'' ) in Egypt during the 20th century: Literature review and recent observations | year=2003 | last1=Manlius | first1=Nicolas | last2=Menardi-Noguera | first2=Alessandro | last3=Zboray | first3=Andras | journal=Journal of Zoology | volume=259 | issue=4 | pages=403–409 }}</ref> Also the ''[[Droseridites]] baculatus'', an extinct plant known only from fossils of its pollen, was found at the [[Ghazalat-1 Well]].<ref name=Ibrahim>{{cite journal | last1 = Ibrahim | first1 = M.I.A. | year = 1996 | title = Aptian-Turonian palynology of the Ghazalat-1 Well (GTX-1), Qattara Depression, Egypt | journal = Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology | volume = 94 | issue = 1–2| pages = 137–168 | doi = 10.1016/0034-6667(95)00135-2 | bibcode = 1996RPaPa..94..137I }}</ref>