Cork Harbour (599)
Ireland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Cork Harbour
Central coordinates: Latitude: 51.8333, Longitude: -8.2833
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 5
Area of KBA (km2): 36.54503
Protected area coverage (%): 68.43
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A large, very sheltered sea bay with several river estuaries situated in County Cork. Intertidal mudflats are extensive with some areas of saltmarsh. There are three to four adjoining small freshwater or brackish lagoons and two large areas of open water, Lough Mahon and Lower Harbour, which are separated by Great Island. Large centres of human habitation lie adjacent to this site, including Cork city, which is a major port. Cork harbour and port form the largest industrial area on Ireland's south coast.
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: Cork Harbour regularly supports over 20,000 waterfowl. It is one of the most important sites in Ireland for breeding Sterna hirundo and for wintering Podiceps cristatus (286 birds, 1996), Mergus serrator (133 birds, 1996), Haematopus ostralegus (1,364 birds, 1995) and Vanellus vanellus (15,400 birds, 1995), as well as for staging Numenius phaeopus (3,304 birds, 1979). Several other species also occur in numbers of national importance, including Phalacrocorax carbo (991 birds, 1996), Tadorna tadorna (2,167 birds, 1986), Anas penelope (2,601 birds, 1995), Anas crecca (1,418 birds, 1996) and Pluvialis apricaria (4,431 birds, 1995).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (20%) | fisheries/aquaculture (50%) | nature conservation and research (5%) | tourism/recreation (20%) | urban/industrial/transport (20%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 10 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 27 | |
| Forest | 5 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 27 | |
| Marine Neritic | 27 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Ongoing road, urban and industrial development has led to considerable loss of intertidal habitat, including mudflat. Additional threats to habitat quality are infestation of mudflats by non-native cord-grass Spartina, intertidal shellfish cultivation, and pressure from recreation and amenity interests. Whitegate oil refinery poses an ongoing pollution threat. Given the damage to this site and ongoing pressures from development, the inclusion of unprotected wetland areas within the Special Protection Area is critical.