Key Biodiversity Areas

Noss (2564)
United Kingdom, Europe

Site overview


KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Noss
Central coordinates: Latitude: 60.1450, Longitude: -1.0165
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 181
Area of KBA (km2): 3.43886
Protected area coverage (%): 99.98
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes

Site details


Site description: An island located off the east coast of Bressay, which in turn lies off the east coast of mainland Shetland. The eastern part of the island slopes steeply. One of the largest seabird colonies in Britain.
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: agriculture (100%)
IUCN HabitatCoverage %Habitat detail
Marine Coastal/Supratidal33
Grassland33
Shrubland33

Threats


Threat level 1Threat level 2Threat level 3Timing
Agriculture & aquacultureMarine & freshwater aquacultureIndustrial aquacultureOngoing
Climate change & severe weatherHabitat shifting & alterationOngoing