Úthérad (527)
Iceland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2000
National site name: Úthérað
Central coordinates: Latitude: 65.5000, Longitude: -14.3167
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 5 to 30
Area of KBA (km2): 522.0585
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Lowlands by Héradsflói bay, 40 km north of the town of Egilsstadir, including Héradssandur, Hjaltastadathinghá and the northern part of Hróarstunga. There are riparian marshes with streams, lakes and freshwater pools, and extensive mires dominated by sedges (Carex, Eriophorum).
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 rich variety of breeding waterbirds.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 35 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 35 | |
| Shrubland | 10 | |
| Grassland | 20 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Hunting and shooting pose a threat: Stercorarius parasiticus and S. skua are shot illegally in the area. The area is on the list of sites of conservation interest in the Nature Conservation Register. The site is an enlarged and re-named version of the IBA `Héradssandur-Hjaltastadathinghá', formerly IS050 in the previous international IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989).