Morecambe Bay (2547)
United Kingdom, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Morecambe Bay
Central coordinates: Latitude: 54.1040, Longitude: -2.9782
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 30
Area of KBA (km2): 370.08673
Protected area coverage (%): 99.94
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA covers Morecambe Bay and the Lune estuary, with the Leven, Kent, Keer, Lune and Wyre river channels draining through intertidal flats of sand and silt. The whole system is dynamic, with shifting channels formed by the cycle of erosion and accretion. The site also includes important saltmarshes. This area is of outstanding importance for wintering and passage wildfowl and waders, and for breeding wildfowl, gulls and terns.
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; adjusted to SPA boundary in 2007. 2000 area, 41970. SPA boundary used from JNCC; digitised at 1:10,000 scale.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | hunting | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 32 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 32 | |
| Marine Neritic | 32 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 5 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Transportation & service corridors | Shipping lanes | Only in the future |