Ons islands (1644)
Spain, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Illas de Ons e Onza
Central coordinates: Latitude: 42.3833, Longitude: -8.9500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 119
Area of KBA (km2): 4.26621
Protected area coverage (%): 98.90
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Two small islands in the Ría de Pontevedra estuary, covered by scrub and grasslands. The main human activity is tourism.
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.
Delineation rationale: 2012-12-17 (BL Secretariat): the original site boundary has been clipped to the coastline (marine areas removed) to avoid overlap with the new marine IBA identified adjacent to this site in October 2012; site area has been correspondingly reduced from 500 ha to 467 ha.
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | not utilised (26%) | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 26 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 26 | |
| Marine Neritic | 48 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threats are from tourism and fires. The regional government is in charge of management and restricts tourist visits to protect seabirds.