Estuaire de la Loire (2384)
France, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2000
National site name: Estuaire de la Loire
Central coordinates: Latitude: 47.2667, Longitude: -1.8167
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 6
Area of KBA (km2): 208.18752
Protected area coverage (%): 94.32
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: An estuary with mudflats, beaches and alluvial islands, marshes, wet meadows and woodland.
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 site holds 20,000 or more waterbirds in winter, on a regular basis. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Gallinago media (passage).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | hunting | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 30 | |
| Marine Neritic | 30 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 30 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Forest | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is seriously threatened by water-level modifications (which have altered the freshwater-saltwater ratios), infilling of saltmarshes, meadows and mudflats, and embankment of the River Loire.