The Cull and Killag (608)
Ireland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: The Cull and Killag
Central coordinates: Latitude: 52.2000, Longitude: -6.6500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 14
Area of KBA (km2): 9.71354
Protected area coverage (%): 69.10
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Situated next to Kilmore quay in County Wexford, the western part of this site (the Cull) is a long, narrow sea inlet and estuary, protected from the open sea by a shingle-spit with dunes. The eastern part of this intertidal system (Killag) was claimed in the last century by construction of the Cull bank and is now polderland, most of which is intensively farmed grassland and arable land.
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 is an important site for wintering waterbirds; additional species occurring in numbers of national importance are Anas crecca (520 birds, 1996), Anas acuta (55 birds, 1996), Mergus serrator (41 birds, 1996), Pluvialis apricaria (4,100 birds, 1995), Vanellus vanellus (6,210 birds, 1995) and Calidris alpina (1,275 birds, 1996).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (20%) | nature conservation and research (80%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 20 | |
| Marine Neritic | 30 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: There is a proposal for a wind-farm at Killag, which may cause displacement of Cygnus columbianus from parts of the site. Changes in agricultural practice threaten the feeding sites of swans Cygnus. The site lies within a proposed candidate Special Area for Conservation (Ballyteigue Burrow; area not known).