Castro Verde plains (379)
Portugal, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1d
Year of last assessment: 2002
National site name: Castro Verde
Central coordinates: Latitude: 37.7500, Longitude: -8.0000
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 160 to 289
Area of KBA (km2): 835.7234
Protected area coverage (%): 97.98
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Open plains used for non-intensive cultivation of cereals (mainly wheat), with sparse woodland of evergreen oak Quercus ilex. Due to the poor soils, cereals are grown on crop rotations of long duration. Fallow land is used for grazing sheep and cattle. There is scattered human habitation.
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.
Additional biodiversity: The area is of great importance for breeding birds of steppic habitats, especially Otis tarda (the most important site in Portugal).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (78%) | forestry (22%) | hunting | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 22 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 78 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Nesting birds are disturbed by the increasing road-traffic in the region and by the aircraft used in aerial spraying for agriculture. The weakness of the rural economy may lead farmers to change land-uses, which will affect the present high natural value of this landscape. The continuance of low-intensity land-uses is vital for the conservation of the steppe avifauna.