Pentland Firth Islands (2574)
United Kingdom, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Pentland Firth Islands
Central coordinates: Latitude: 58.7432, Longitude: -3.0575
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 30
Area of KBA (km2): 1.76154
Protected area coverage (%): 95.55
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA comprises two islands and a group of rocky islets located in the Pentland Firth. These support a variety of habitats including maritime heath, rocky shores, marsh, moorland and open fresh water. These islands are important for large numbers of breeding seabirds.
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; 2000 dropped two intertidal islands. SPA boundary used from JNCC; digitised at 1:10,000 scale. Additional area added on 1:50,000 maps.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | not utilised
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 25 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 25 | |
| Shrubland | 25 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 25 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Ongoing |