Caorle lagoon (2738)
Italy, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2002
National site name: Laguna di Caorle
Central coordinates: Latitude: 45.6500, Longitude: 12.9167
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 1
Area of KBA (km2): 68.73246
Protected area coverage (%): 70.97
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A large, brackish lagoon complex on the west coast of the northern Adriatic, between the larger Venice lagoon and the lagoon of Grado and Marano. The lagoon is used for fish-farming and for hunting. The surroundings are mainly large, cultivated fields on claimed land. Main land-uses are fishing (especially fish-farming), hunting and agriculture.
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.
Additional biodiversity: An important site for breeding herons and wintering waterbirds. The average number of wintering waterbirds during 1993-1996 was 18,800. Wintering species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Aythya nyroca (max. 50, but that was in 1975), Aquila clanga (1).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (10%) | fisheries/aquaculture (60%) | hunting (70%) | tourism/recreation (20%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 44 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 30 | |
| Other | 1 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 1 | |
| Forest | 3 | |
| Marine Oceanic | 21 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Important threats are agricultural intensification, hunting and consequent disturbance to birds, and projects for urban, industrial and touristic development, such as the proposal for the construction of a marina close to the mouth of Tagliamento river.