Dunfanaghy New Lake (636)
Ireland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Dunfanaghy New Lake
Central coordinates: Latitude: 55.1667, Longitude: -8.0000
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 10
Area of KBA (km2): 6.25487
Protected area coverage (%): 99.83
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A coastal lagoon, with large sand-dunes and surrounding grassland, south of Dunfanaghy in County Donegal.
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 site has been designated as a Special Protection Area on the basis of its migratory birds, especially wintering Anser albifrons flavirostris (174 birds, 1996) and Branta leucopsis (232 birds, 1995), which occur here in nationally important numbers.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (40%) | forestry (10%) | not utilised (50%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 53 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 27 | |
| Grassland | 10 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 10 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Part of the site has been damaged by afforestation and there has been some modification of the dunes through agricultural usage. The site lies within a proposed candidate Special Area for Conservation (Horn Head and Ringclevan; area not known).