Cíes islands (1643)
Spain, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Illas Cíes
Central coordinates: Latitude: 42.2500, Longitude: -8.8833
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 197
Area of KBA (km2): 4.47399
Protected area coverage (%): 99.97
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Two islands in the Ría de Vigo estuary with extensive areas of cliff. The vegetation is mainly scrub and Pinus and Eucalyptus plantations. The main human activities are tourism and recreation.
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 breeding seabirds with one of the largest colonies of Larus cachinnans in the world and of Phalacrocorax aristotelis in Europe.
Delineation rationale: 2012-12-17 (BL Secretariat): the original site boundary has been clipped to the coastline (hi-res GIS) to avoid overlap with the new marine IBA identified adjacent to this site in October 2012; site area has been correspondingly changed from 433 ha to 467 ha.
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | nature conservation and research (100%) | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 25 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 8 | |
| Forest | 10 | |
| Shrubland | 40 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 17 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threats are from tourism and fire. A management plan exists.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Small dams | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Transportation & service corridors | Shipping lanes | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing |