Isonzo mouth, Cona island and Panzano Gulf (2746)
Italy, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2002
National site name: Foci dell'Isonzo, Isola della Cona e Golfo di Panzano
Central coordinates: Latitude: 45.7500, Longitude: 13.5667
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 5
Area of KBA (km2): 69.49423
Protected area coverage (%): 58.74
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Isonzo river meets the north Adriatic Sea some 30 km west of Trieste. There are saltmarshes, reedbeds, mudflats and sandbars, riparian woods, wet grasslands and agricultural areas. Panzano Gulf is an open sea bay. The main human activities are nature conservation, tourism, hunting, fishing, mussel-collecting 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: Panzano Gulf is important for wintering waterbirds, with internationally important numbers of Anas penelope and Bucephala clangula. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Aythya nyroca (max. 4, winter). More than 280 species have been recorded, of which 70 breed.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (30%) | fisheries/aquaculture (40%) | hunting (45%) | nature conservation and research (50%) | tourism/recreation (5%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 8 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 3 | |
| Other | 8 | |
| Marine Oceanic | 57 | |
| Forest | 1 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 23 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: An important threat is the disturbance of birds by visitors and mussel-collectors along the seashore. Some or all of the site is covered by a management plan. The area is a proposed Ramsar Site and is already partially managed as a Wildlife Sanctuary (Isola della Cona), with ongoing projects to restore wetland habitat and to introduce Anser anser as a breeding species. Since 1988 the Osservatorio Faunistico della Provincia di Gorizia has been managing a bird-ringing station in the area.