Leyre, Illón and San Miguel mountain ranges (1776)
Spain, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1c
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Sierras de Leyre, Illón y San Miguel
Central coordinates: Latitude: 42.7000, Longitude: -1.0667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 400 to 1420
Area of KBA (km2): 207.87817
Protected area coverage (%): 80.86
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: An area of limestone cliffs and several large gorges. The vegetation includes alpine grassland, scrub, and Quercus, Fagus and Pinus forests. The main human activities are forestry, hunting and livestock-grazing.
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: This is an important site for cliff-nesting birds and a wintering site for Perdix perdix. The site holds the largest Gyps fulvus colonies in Spain.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (90%) | forestry (80%) | hunting (90%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Forest | 68 | |
| Grassland | 5 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 5 | |
| Shrubland | 17 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The most important threats are from intensive forestry and logging, hunting and disturbance from visitors. A management plan exists for the reserves.