Wicklow Mountains (634)
Ireland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2000
National site name: Wicklow Mountains
Central coordinates: Latitude: 53.1667, Longitude: -6.4000
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 100 to 925
Area of KBA (km2): 159.07741
Protected area coverage (%): 95.72
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Located 20 km south of Dublin city, this site encompasses the upland areas of Counties Wicklow and Dublin. It comprises broad granite domes interspersed with pinnacled tops, rocky foothills, deep glens, numerous rivers and streams, and several lakes. Much of the area is a mosaic of heath, blanket bog and upland grassland, with stands of bracken and pockets of woodland. Poulaphouca reservoir, included within this site in the previous pan-European inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989), is now treated separately (site 107). Land-uses include peat-cutting (which is also a potential threat), forestry and recreation (due to the close proximity of Dublin).
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: The nationally scarce Falco columbarius and F. peregrinus as well as Lagopus lagopus breed within the extensive areas of bog and moorland. This is also one of the most important sites in Ireland for Phoenicurus phoenicurus (50 pairs, 1996), which breed in the Quercus woodlands, and for Turdus torquatus (20 pairs, 1996), which breed in open, rocky areas.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (40%) | forestry (20%) | nature conservation and research (50%) | tourism/recreation (70%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 15 | |
| Grassland | 10 | |
| Forest | 5 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 50 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 20 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: NPW own large areas of the site which they manage for nature conservation by, for example, maintaining traditional sheep-grazing methods. However, conflict between farming and the implementation of conservation management measures is yet to be fully resolved. Due to the proximity of Dublin city, careful management of visitors is required to ensure amenity use and conservation management objectives are also not in conflict. The site overlaps with a proposed candidate Special Area for Conservation (Wicklow Mountains National Park; area not known).