Salt-pans of Ibiza and Formentera and Freus isles (1882)
Spain, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1c, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Salinas de Ibiza y Formentera e islas de los Freus
Central coordinates: Latitude: 38.8167, Longitude: 1.4667
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 159
Area of KBA (km2): 29.34756
Protected area coverage (%): 98.47
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site includes working and abandoned saltpans, two lakes and several small islets. There are small areas of scrub.
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 breeding seabirds and waterbirds.
Delineation rationale: 2012-12-17 (BL Secretariat): the original site boundary has been clipped to the coastline to avoid overlap with the new marine IBA identified adjacent to this site in October 2012; site area has been correspondingly changed from 2600 ha to 2623 ha.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | hunting (50%) | tourism/recreation (15%) | urban/industrial/transport (40%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 27 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 5 | |
| Forest | 32 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 5 | |
| Shrubland | 5 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 27 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threats are from disturbance by tourists and the poaching of Calonectris diomedea and Puffinus yelkouan chicks. Larus cachinnans is culled annually. The IBA overlaps with a Natural Area of Special Interest (Ses Salines).