Tramore Backstrand (605)
Ireland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Tramore Backstrand and Bay
Central coordinates: Latitude: 52.1667, Longitude: -7.1000
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 20
Area of KBA (km2): 22.02583
Protected area coverage (%): 34.66
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A small, shallow bay next to Tramore village in County Waterford, comprising mainly intertidal mudflat with some saltmarsh. It is sheltered from the sea by a long, shingle spit with sand-dunes, leaving only a narrow opening out to sea. The site has been extended since the last pan-European inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989) to include Tramore Bay, outside of the shingle spit, between Great Newtown and Brownstone Head.
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: This wetland supports several wintering waterfowl in numbers of international importance. Additional species wintering in nationally important numbers include Calidris alpina (2,721 birds, 1996), Pluvialis apricaria (3,600 birds, 1996), Pluvialis squatarola (258 birds, 1996), Calidris alba (71 birds, 1995) and Limosa limosa (250 birds, 1995). A 2002 survey of Falco peregrinus reported that there are 5 nesting pairs in the vicinity of the site.
Habitats
Land use: not utilised (80%) | tourism/recreation (20%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Intertidal | 33 | |
| Marine Neritic | 33 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: A municipal dump adjacent to the site threatens habitat quality due to the effects of pollution. Other threats include erosion of the dune system and the spread of non-native cord-grass Spartina across the mudflats. The site overlaps with a proposed candidate Special Area for Conservation (Tramore Backstrand; area not known).