Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary (2473)
United Kingdom, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary
Central coordinates: Latitude: 56.4475, Longitude: -3.0498
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 15
Area of KBA (km2): 69.23404
Protected area coverage (%): 99.33
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This site includes the Inner Tay, with some of the largest reedbeds (Phragmites) in Britain, and the extensive intertidal mudflats on one side of the mouth of the river. The IBA is important for wintering and passage wildfowl and waders, and supports several breeding reedbed species.
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; original Firth of Tay site combined with Eden Estuary, Tentsmuir Point and Abertay Sands in 2007, using the SPA boundary. 2000 area, 6100ha. SPA boundary used from JNCC; digitised at 1:10,000 scale.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (5%) | nature conservation and research (20%) | urban/industrial/transport (5%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 33 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 33 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 33 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Only in the future |