Inishglora and Inishkeeragh (571)
Ireland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Inishglora and Inishkeeragh
Central coordinates: Latitude: 54.2167, Longitude: -10.1500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 22
Area of KBA (km2): 3.36762
Protected area coverage (%): 99.89
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Two low-lying offshore islands, 1 km west of Corraun Point on the Mullet peninsula, County Mayo. This site includes Carricknaronty Rocks, Duffar Rocks and the surrounding sea area.
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: These islands are important for their breeding colonies of seabirds, and are also notable for wintering Branta leucopsis (265 birds, 1994; birds also use sites 043 and 044), and for breeding Sterna paradisaea (105 pairs, 1995). There are also small numbers of Sterna albifrons. Other breeding seabirds in numbers of national importance are Phalacrocorax carbo (57 pairs), Larus marinus (75 pairs) and Larus fuscus (min. 20 pairs).
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture (85%) | not utilised (15%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 10 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 5 | |
| Marine Neritic | 85 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Fishing may deplete the prey stock of seabirds, with implications for their breeding success.