East Sanday (2462)
United Kingdom, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: East Sanday
Central coordinates: Latitude: 59.2577, Longitude: -2.5120
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 10
Area of KBA (km2): 20.99578
Protected area coverage (%): 90.84
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A low-lying rocky coastline interspersed with sandy bays. Sand-dune and machair habitats support species-rich plant communities. The IBA is important for both wintering and breeding waders, and also breeding Sterna paradisaea and wintering Plectrophenax nivalis.
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; extended to include Whitemill Bay in 2000; no significant changes to boundary since then. Note, 2000 area was 1515ha, but this must have been an error. SPA boundary used from JNCC; digitised at 1:10,000 scale. Additional area added on 1:50,000 maps - detailed mapping if converted to SPA.
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture (5%) | not utilised (95%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 33 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 33 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 33 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Ongoing |