Key Biodiversity Areas

Ailsa Craig (2415)
United Kingdom, Europe

Site overview


KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Ailsa Craig
Central coordinates: Latitude: 55.2525, Longitude: -5.1157
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 338
Area of KBA (km2): 0.99914
Protected area coverage (%): 99.63
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes

Site details


Site description: A cone-shaped granitic island in the outer part of the Firth of Clyde. The high cliffs support important seabird colonies.
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.
Delineation rationale: First identified in 1989, the site boundary has not had any significant changes since. SPA boundary used from JNCC; digitised at 1:10,000 scale.

Habitats


Land use: not utilised (100%)
IUCN HabitatCoverage %Habitat detail
Marine Coastal/Supratidal100

Threats


Threat level 1Threat level 2Threat level 3Timing
Climate change & severe weatherHabitat shifting & alterationOnly in the future