Ibisha Island (418)
Bulgaria, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2005
National site name: Ostrov Ibisha
Central coordinates: Latitude: 43.8245, Longitude: 23.5163
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 30 to 45
Area of KBA (km2): 3.99317
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: An island on kilometre 717 of the River Danube, covered by seasonally flooded forest of Alnus, Salix and Populus. The western part of the island is a sandy clearing, covered by a plantation of Populus. Human activities include intensive forest management in the plantation.
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: The island supports the largest nesting colonies of herons and cormorants in the country, being especially important for its large numbers of Phalacrocorax pygmeus, Nycticorax nycticorax, Ardeola ralloides and Platalea leucorodia.
Habitats
Land use: forestry (50%) | not utilised (50%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 50 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main problem is disturbance to nesting birds caused by people visiting the island during the breeding season. There is some illegal cutting of trees in the reserve.