Kythira island (1103)
Greece, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1d, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2000
National site name: Nisos Kythira
Central coordinates: Latitude: 36.2333, Longitude: 23.0500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 507
Area of KBA (km2): 564.20648
Protected area coverage (%): 66.59
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site includes parts of Kithira and the adjacent islets. Human activities include arable agriculture, livestock-farming, tourism, hunting, and fishing. There is also some military use of the site.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: Two hundred and thirty-six species have been recorded. The site is a migratory bottleneck, where more than 3,000 raptors regularly pass in autumn. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Aquila heliaca (up to 2 wintering individuals), Falco naumanni (passage).
Delineation rationale: 2012-12-17 (BL Secretariat): site area updated from 18000 ha to 56421 ha after addition of seaward extension to the site in October 2012 for the Marine eAtlas.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (50%) | fisheries/aquaculture (10%) | military (5%) | tourism/recreation (35%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 5 | |
| Marine Neritic | 10 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 1 | |
| Shrubland | 47 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 5 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 24 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Threats come from uncontrolled grazing, fire, and land reclamation for building. Hunting is also a threat, particularly during autumn. Part of the area is a candidate SAC.