Symi island and surrounding islets (1137)
Greece, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2000
National site name: Nisos Symi kai nisides
Central coordinates: Latitude: 36.5833, Longitude: 27.8500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 620
Area of KBA (km2): 140.78118
Protected area coverage (%): 69.91
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Simi is rocky and covered with phrygana and conifer forest. The adjacent islets are unvegetated or covered with scrub. Human activities include fishing, tourism, stock-raising, and arable agriculture.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: This is an important site for seabirds.
Delineation rationale: 2012-12-17 (BL Secretariat): site area updated from 6500 ha to 14078 ha after addition of seaward extension to the site in October 2012 for the Marine eAtlas.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (80%) | fisheries/aquaculture (5%) | military | not utilised (10%) | tourism/recreation (10%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 18 | |
| Shrubland | 50 | |
| Marine Neritic | 10 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 14 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Overfishing and illegal fishing with dynamite are serious problems. Fires are a potential threat.