Lower Derwent Valley (2455)
United Kingdom, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Lower Derwent Valley
Central coordinates: Latitude: 53.8633, Longitude: -0.9453
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 6 to 8
Area of KBA (km2): 10.92154
Protected area coverage (%): 99.11
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A mosaic of neutral alluvial flood-meadows, fens, swamps, Alnus carr and freshwater habitats lying adjacent to the River Derwent, Pocklington Canal and Thornton Beck. The unimproved flood-meadows are amongst the most important in Europe. This site supports a variety of breeding wetland birds and attracts large numbers of wildfowl in winter.
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.
Delineation rationale: First identified in 1989 as Derwent Ings; extended in 2000 to include Newton Mask, Breighton Meadows and Melbourne and Thornton Ings, and renamed to Lower Derwent Valley. SPA boundary used from JNCC; digitised at 1:10,000 scale.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | nature conservation and research | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 33 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 33 | |
| Grassland | 33 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Abstraction of ground water (agricultural use) | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Sewage | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases | Unspecified species | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Nutrient loads | Ongoing |
| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Only in the future |