Key Biodiversity Areas

Serra de Penha Garcia e Campina de Toulões (386)
Portugal, Europe

Site overview


KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2002
National site name: Serra de Penha Garcia e Campina de Toulões
Central coordinates: Latitude: 40.0167, Longitude: -6.9500
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 200 to 407
Area of KBA (km2): 156.78949
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes

Site details


Site description: Area located in Beira Baixa, in the council of Idanha -Nova, with a wide diversity of habitats that hold tipically steppic areas, open woodland of evergreen oak (Q. suber, Q. ilex) and mediterranean shrubland. This diversity of habitats causes curiouses specifications like Erithacus rubecula that only nests in north slopes.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: The area supports a wide diversity of species of steppic and rupicolous habitat. 125 species have been registered in this place and 90 of them are breeding.This site is important for threatened raptors like Neophron percnopterus, Gyps fulvus, Aquila chrysaetus, Hieraaetus fasciatus and falco peregrinus. Here it is possible to found 18 raptor species of 24 that are in Portugal.The steppic habitats are important for Ciconia nigra, Otis tarda, Tetrax tetrax, Pterocles orientalis and Burhinus oedicnemus.

Habitats


Land use: agriculture | forestry | hunting | tourism/recreation
IUCN HabitatCoverage %Habitat detail
Artificial - Terrestrial43
Forest26
Wetlands(Inland)3
Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks)5
Shrubland24

Threats


Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The intensification of agriculture (including irrigation) will reduce the extent of steppic habitats. Also abanbandonment of land management and afforestation with oak cause reduction and fragmentation of steppic habitats.Afforestation with eucalypthus, illegal hunting of Otis tarda and disturbances of Gyps fulvus and Hieraaetus pennatus for recreation and tourism are others threats that occur in this IBA
Threat level 1Threat level 2Threat level 3Timing
Transportation & service corridorsUtility & service linesOngoing

Additional information


References: Pacheco et al.(1999)Rosa et al.(1999)Rosa et al.(2001a,b)