This Site consists of three karst lakes, ‘Awwa, Ifrah and Hachlaf, near the town of Imouzzer Kandar in the Middle Atlas. They are among the most southerly lakes of the Western Palearctic ecozone. They combine a wide range of habitats which support a great diversity of flora and fauna. The 50 or more bird species include 33 wintering waterbirds, some of them threatened including the common pochard (Aythya ferina) and the white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala). The wetland is a particularly important wintering place for this latter species, which finds refuge in these lakes when its other breeding sites on the plain of Saïss are insufficiently submerged. A forest cover dominated by Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) and holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia) protects against soil erosion. The lakes replenish and are fed by the underlying aquifer, although these exchanges have declined due to droughts over the last three decades. Site management lies with different authorities depending on ownership status and the type of resource (forest area, marine area). A management plan is being prepared as of 2019. A cultural festival promotes the traditional values of the Site and the surrounding region.