Santoña marshes (1662)
Spain, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Marismas de Santoña
Central coordinates: Latitude: 43.5000, Longitude: -3.5000
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 378
Area of KBA (km2): 71.16958
Protected area coverage (%): 91.88
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A coastal marsh with sand-dunes and extensive intertidal mudflats. Human activities include fishing and shellfish collecting.
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: The most important wintering and passage site for waterbirds on the north coast of the Iberian peninsula.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (60%) | fisheries/aquaculture (10%) | forestry (40%) | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 17 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 50 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 17 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 17 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: There are numerous current and potential threats to this site. These include proposals for industrial development with infilling, a road project, aquaculture projects, urban and industrial dumping and intense hunting and tourism. A management plan was approved in 1997.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Marine & freshwater aquaculture | Subsistence/artisinal aquaculture | Only in the past and unlikely to return |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Marine & freshwater aquaculture | Industrial aquaculture | Only in the past and unlikely to return |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Only in the past and unlikely to return |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | 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 |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Only in the future | |
| Transportation & service corridors | Roads & railroads | Ongoing | |
| Transportation & service corridors | Utility & service lines | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Only in the future | |
| Pollution | Garbage & solid waste | Ongoing |