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Year of most recent IBA criteria assessment: 2009

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species	Current IUCN Red List Category	Season	Year(s) of estimate	Population at site	IBA criteria triggered
Little Egret Egretta garzetta	LC	winter	2002-2006	22-44 individuals	C6
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa	NT	winter	2002-2006	424-667 individuals	B1i, C3

Note: The current IUCN Red List category may differ from the category that was valid at the time of IBA criteria assessment.

For more information about the IBA criteria, please click here

Threats to the site (pressure)
Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	livestock farming and ranching (includes forest grazing) - small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Agricultural expansion and intensification	marine and freshwater aquaculture - subsistence/artisinal aquaculture	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Human intrusions and disturbance	recreational activities	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Pollution	domestic & urban waste water - type unknown/unrecorded	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Pollution	garbage & solid waste	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Transportation and service corridors	roads and railroads	past (and unlikely to return) and no longer limiting	some of area/population (10-49%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low

Condition of the site (state), by species
Scientific name	Common name	Reference population	Actual population	Units	% of population remaining	Result
Mareca penelope	Eurasian Wigeon	1435	650	individuals	46	not assessed
Egretta garzetta		44	40	individuals	91	favourable
Pluvialis apricaria	Eurasian Golden Plover	885	1133	individuals	100	not assessed
Numenius arquata	Eurasian Curlew	908	891	individuals	99	not assessed
Limosa limosa	Black-tailed Godwit	496	615	individuals	100	favourable
Calidris alpina	Dunlin	1361	560	individuals	42	not assessed
Tringa nebularia	Common Greenshank	21	22	individuals	100	not assessed
Tringa totanus	Common Redshank	337	560	individuals	100	not assessed

Conservation actions taken at the site (response)
Protected-area designation	Management planning	Other conservation action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

For more information about IBA conservation status, please click here

Protected area (PA)	PA designation	PA area (ha)	Relationship of PA with IBA	Overlap of PA with IBA (ha)
Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	10,145	protected area overlaps with site	405
Blackwater Estuary SPA	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	870	protected area overlaps with site	311
Blackwater Estuary	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	468	protected area contained by site	468

IUCN Habitat	Habitat detail	Extent (% of site)
Grassland	Humid grasslands	-
Marine Neritic		-
Marine Intertidal		-

For further information about the IUCN habitat classification, please click here.

Land-use	Extent (% of site)
fisheries/aquaculture	-
agriculture	-

For further information about the land-use classification, please click here.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Blackwater estuary. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/602 on 28/05/2023.