Key Biodiversity Areas

Skardsfjördur (485)
Iceland, Europe

Site overview


KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2000
National site name: Skarðsfjörður
Central coordinates: Latitude: 64.2667, Longitude: -15.0667
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 14
0
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes

Site details


Site description: A brackish coastal lagoon with intertidal mudflats, by the town of Höfn on the western shore of Skardsfjördur and along the coast from Austurfjörur to Hornsvík.
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: Other notable waders on passage include Haematopus ostralegus (hundreds), Charadrius hiaticula (1,000), Calidris canutus (min. 2,000) and Limosa limosa (hundreds).

Habitats


Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | military | nature conservation and research | urban/industrial/transport
IUCN HabitatCoverage %Habitat detail
Marine Intertidal50
Marine Coastal/Supratidal50

Threats


Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The area is on the list of sites of conservation interest in the Nature Conservation Register.