Key Biodiversity Areas

Drangey (519)
Iceland, Europe

Site overview


KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1bA1dD1a
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Drangey, Skagafjörður
Central coordinates: Latitude: 65.9413, Longitude: -19.6868
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 140
Area of KBA (km2): 6.60436
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes

Site details


Site description: An inshore rocky island with sea cliffs and grassland. Eggs are collected from Uria aalge at places along the cliff every spring, and adult puffins Fratercula arctica are also harvested traditionally. Tourists regularly visit the island in summer.
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 site holds more than 10,000 pairs of breeding seabirds on a regular basis, including abundant Fratercula arctica and more than 1% of the Icelandic population of Rissa tridactyla (c.9,000 pairs). Uria aalge seems to be increasing and Uria lomvia decreasing.

Habitats


Land use: tourism/recreation
IUCN HabitatCoverage %Habitat detail
Marine Coastal/Supratidal100

Threats


Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: No serious threats are known. The area is on the list of sites of conservation interest in the Nature Conservation Register.