Duvillaun Islands (573)
Ireland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Duvillaun Islands
Central coordinates: Latitude: 54.0833, Longitude: -10.2000
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 63
Area of KBA (km2): 5.2966
Protected area coverage (%): 99.80
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This is a group of five offshore islands with outlying rocks and reefs, 3 km south-west of the Mullet peninsula in County Mayo.
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: These islands support important numbers of wintering geese and breeding seabirds. Seabirds breeding in numbers of national importance are Phalacrocorax carbo (185 pairs, 1981), Fulmarus glacialis (500 pairs, 1981), Larus canus (20-50 pairs, 1981) and Larus argentatus (300-400 pairs, 1981).
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture (75%) | not utilised (25%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 75 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 15 | |
| Grassland | 10 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is a proposed (by NPW) Special Protection Area (Duvillaun Island, 446 ha), and should be designated in the near future.