Stafnes-Gardur (500)
Iceland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2000
National site name: Stafnes-Garður
Central coordinates: Latitude: 64.0667, Longitude: -22.7000
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 5
Area of KBA (km2): 26.39283
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A wildlife-rich coastal area with rocky shores, beaches and estuarine intertidal flats on Rosmhvalanes, west and north of Keflavík airport. The area extends from Hvalnes to the village of Gardur. There are also some dry grasslands by the coast.
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 supports important numbers of coastal waterbirds outside the breeding season, including staging waders on passage (max. 4,000 in May). Thousands of large gulls winter in the area (Larus argentatus, L. glaucoides, L. hyperboreus and L. marinus). Numbers of breeding species are also notable, including Somateria mollissima (over 1,000 pairs) and Sterna paradisaea (a few thousand pairs).
Habitats
Land use: tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Intertidal | 15 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 15 | |
| Marine Neritic | 70 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Birds are disturbed by people (tourists, etc.) in some parts of the area. The IBA is on the list of sites of conservation interest in the Nature Conservation Register.