Key Biodiversity Areas

Farne Islands (2470)
United Kingdom, Europe

Site overview


KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1bA1dD1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Farne Islands
Central coordinates: Latitude: 55.6313, Longitude: -1.6243
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 19
Area of KBA (km2): 1.01312
Protected area coverage (%): 99.87
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes

Site details


Site description: A group of islands and rock stacks lying between 2 km and 6 km off the Northumberland coast at Bamburgh. Vegetation is limited to pioneer species due to the maritime conditions and the impact of seabirds. The IBA supports large numbers of breeding seabirds, especially terns and auks, and waterbirds.
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; no significant boundary changes since then. SPA boundary used from JNCC; digitised at 1:10,000 scale.

Habitats


Land use: nature conservation and research (100%)
IUCN HabitatCoverage %Habitat detail
Marine Coastal/Supratidal50
Grassland50