Ilhéu da Vila (19705)
Portugal, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2002
National site name: Ilhéu da Vila
Central coordinates: Latitude: 36.9333, Longitude: -25.1667
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 52
Area of KBA (km2): 0.07732
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: O Ilhéu da Vila é um ilhéu rochoso de basalto, com acentuados declives e falésias. No seu topo e nas falésias está coberto por plantas anuais características das comunidades costeiras dos Açores e de entre as quais se destacam as espécies Não-me-esqueças, Lotus azoricus e Myosotis maritima. O ilhéu é desabitado, sendo no entanto visitado regularmente por pescadores e, ocasionalmente por turistas. No primeiro inventário das IBAs este sítio incluía a costa adjacente, mas presentemente este sector não suporta números de aves que justifiquem a classificação de acordo com os critérios revistos.
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 site has all the species of breeding seabirds of the Azores but the Manx Shearwater. The only known site with breeding records for the Bulwer's Petrel and the Sooty Tern. This last species only have breeding records in Europe here and in the Selvagens islands in the Madeira archipelago. In some years had the largest colony of terns in the archipelago. As a curiosity, in this island only the 'cold-period' population of the Madeiran Storm Petrel can be found.
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 50 | |
| Grassland | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Goats contributed for soil erosion and loss of available habitat for breeding seabirds, but were erradicated from the islet in 1993. Capture of Cory's Shearwaters (chicks and adults) are a frequent activity of fishermen. Several studies on seabirds were made during the past years, and a management plan is under preparation for the SPA Ilhéu da Vila e Costa Adjacente. The absence of the establishment of the SPA by the regional law constitutes a weakness in its surveillance and legal protection