Malahide/ Broadmeadow Estuary (617)
Ireland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Malahide/ Broadmeadow Estuary
Central coordinates: Latitude: 53.4500, Longitude: -6.1500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 5
Area of KBA (km2): 9.37965
Protected area coverage (%): 91.34
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Broadmeadow river estuary is situated immediately north of Malahide and east of Swords in County Dublin. The site is divided by a railway viaduct and protected from the sea by a large sand-spit. There are sand- and mudflats within the outer estuary. However, inland of the viaduct, only the extreme inner part of the estuary drains at low tide; saltmarsh is present here.
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 waterfowl. Many other species occur in numbers of national importance, including Tadorna tadorna (534 birds, 1995), Bucephala clangula (390 birds, 1996), Mergus serrator (171 birds, 1996), Haematopus ostralegus (1,343 birds, 1995), Pluvialis apricaria (4,000 birds, 1996) and Calidris alpina (1,850 birds, 1996).
Habitats
Land use: not utilised (35%) | tourism/recreation (50%) | urban/industrial/transport (15%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 43 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 15 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 43 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Permission has been granted for the construction of a motorway bridge across the most sensitive extreme inner part of the estuary. Infestation of mudflats by non-native cord-grass Spartina threatens habitat quality. The inner estuary is used for water-sports, which may cause disturbance. Housing and marina developments have claimed parts of the outer estuary. The site lies within a proposed candidate Special Area for Conservation (Malahide Estuary; area not known).