Ribble and Alt Estuaries (2584)
United Kingdom, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Ribble and Alt Estuaries
Central coordinates: Latitude: 53.6618, Longitude: -3.0372
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 15
Area of KBA (km2): 124.57785
Protected area coverage (%): 99.95
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Intertidal mudflats and saltmarsh extending from the Ribble estuary in the north to Crosby in the south, and includes the mouth of the River Alt. These estuaries are important for wintering and passage wildfowl and waders, and for breeding gulls.
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; discrepancies between SPA and IBA boundary resolved in 2007. 2000 area, 15934ha. SPA boundary from JNCC at 1:10,000 scale.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 32 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 32 | |
| Grassland | 5 | |
| Marine Neritic | 32 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Only in the future | |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Only in the future |