Rogerstown estuary (620)
Ireland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Rogerstown estuary
Central coordinates: Latitude: 53.5000, Longitude: -6.1000
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 5
Area of KBA (km2): 5.55964
Protected area coverage (%): 78.51
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Situated 2 km north of Donabate, this is a relatively small, narrow estuary separated from the sea by a sand/shingle-bar and divided by the Dublin-Belfast railway line. The estuary drains almost completely at low tide, exposing extensive mudflats with some saltmarsh. The largest municipal dump in Ireland is situated on the north-east shore of the site.
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. Additional species wintering in numbers of national importance include Tadorna tadorna (827 birds, 1996), Anas crecca (677 birds, 1995), Pluvialis apricaria (4,000 birds, 1996), Vanellus vanellus (7,735 birds, 1996) and Tringa totanus (861 birds, 1996).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (10%) | nature conservation and research (5%) | not utilised (70%) | urban/industrial/transport (15%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 38 | |
| Grassland | 10 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 38 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 15 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Since starting in 1970, municipal rubbish-dumping has destroyed 44 ha of intertidal mudflat. Infestation of remaining mudflat by non-native cord-grass Spartina threatens habitat quality, and there is increasing pressure on the site from recreation, amenity and adjacent urban development. BirdWatch Ireland owns a 24 ha reserve of wet grassland, bordering the inner part of the estuary, and, with support from the local authority, have recently constructed a hide on the estuary's south shore. The site lies within a proposed candidate Special Area for Conservation (Rogerstown estuary; area not known).