[3] The government has declared its intention to turn the park into a major tourist attraction specialising in ecotourism.

An inland, desert, section includes sabkhas, dunes and limestone plateaus, and is typical of Sahara landscapes.

Ruddy shelducks, marbled ducks and Audouin's gulls inhabit the lagoon permanently, and many species migrate here in winter.

[3] The site has also been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant wintering populations of waterbirds.

The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 12 October 1998 in the "natural" category.