Wigtown Bay (2635)
United Kingdom, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Wigtown Bay
Central coordinates: Latitude: 54.8727, Longitude: -4.3930
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 6
Area of KBA (km2): 34.16126
Protected area coverage (%): 99.01
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A large estuary draining the Rivers Cree and Bladnoch and several burns. The site includes extensive areas of intertidal mudflats and adjacent grazed saltmarshes and supports large numbers of wintering wildfowl and waders.
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. Digitised onto 1:50,000 scale OS maps.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (10%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 50 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 50 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Wood & pulp plantations | Agro-industry plantations | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Only in the past and unlikely to return |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Only in the future |