The Wash (2620)
United Kingdom, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: The Wash
Central coordinates: Latitude: 52.9367, Longitude: 0.2900
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 6
Area of KBA (km2): 701.70518
Protected area coverage (%): 91.72
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA comprises one of the most important areas of estuarine mudflats, sandbanks and saltmarsh in the UK. Included at the eastern end of the site are the low chalk cliffs at Hunstanton. Dune and saltmarsh communities show a typical flora and fauna, although much of the upper saltmarsh zone has been reclaimed. The Wash supports an important shellfishery. This extensive site is an important breeding area for several species of wildfowl, gulls and terns, and supports large concentrations of passage and wintering waders and wildfowl.
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; Gibraltar Point split into separate IBA in 2007. 2000 area underestimated as 67000ha. SPA boundary used from JNCC; digitised at 1:10,000 scale. Additional area added on 1:50,000 maps.
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | military | nature conservation and research | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 5 | |
| Marine Neritic | 48 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 48 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Persecution/control | Only in the future |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Marine & freshwater aquaculture | Industrial aquaculture | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Large dams | Only in the future |
| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Only in the future | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Only in the future | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | War, civil unrest & military exercises | Ongoing | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Only in the future |