Duddon Estuary (2458)
United Kingdom, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Duddon Estuary
Central coordinates: Latitude: 54.1732, Longitude: -3.2693
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 15
Area of KBA (km2): 67.83772
Protected area coverage (%): 99.92
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA is situated to the north-west of Morecambe Bay, and covers a complex of habitats including intertidal mudflats, saltmarshes, sand-dunes and lagoons. The former iron-ore workings at Hodbarrow now comprise a lagoon of considerable wildlife interest. The estuary is important for breeding terns, wintering and passage wildfowl and waders.
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; boundary adjusted to match SPA in 2007. 2000 area, 5120ha. SPA boundary used from JNCC; digitised at 1:10,000 scale.
Habitats
Land use: tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 32 | |
| Grassland | 2 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 32 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 32 | |
| Forest | 1 | |
| Shrubland | 1 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Ongoing |