• Summary
• Text account
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• Reference and further resources

Year of most recent IBA criteria assessment: 2007

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species	Current IUCN Red List Category	Season	Year(s) of estimate	Population at site	IBA criteria triggered
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis	LC	winter	2003	435 individuals	B1i, B2, C2
European Shag Gulosus aristotelis	LC	breeding	1999	506 breeding pairs	B3
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica	VU	breeding	2000	65,170 breeding pairs	A4ii, B1ii, B2, C3
Razorbill Alca torda	LC	breeding	1999	8,046 individuals	A4ii, B1ii, B3, C3
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	breeding	1999-2000	86,010 breeding pairs	A4iii, C4

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	marine and freshwater aquaculture - industrial aquaculture	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Climate change and severe weather	habitat shifting and alteration	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high

Condition of the site (state), by species
Scientific name	Common name	Reference population	Actual population	Units	% of population remaining	Result
Branta leucopsis	Barnacle Goose	490	435	individuals	89	near favourable
Gulosus aristotelis	European Shag	1780	506	breeding pairs	29	very unfavourable
Fratercula arctica	Atlantic Puffin	76000	65170	breeding pairs	86	near favourable
Alca torda	Razorbill	10970	8046	individuals	74	near favourable
Species group - seabirds	A4iii	102614	86010	breeding pairs	84	near favourable

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90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low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)
The Shiant Isles	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	0	protected area overlaps with site	0
Shiant Isles	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	6,936	protected area contains site	211
Shiant Islands	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	212	protected area overlaps with site	211
Inner Hebrides and the Minches	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	1,380,199	protected area overlaps with site	0

IUCN Habitat	Habitat detail	Extent (% of site)
Shrubland	Heathland	-
Grassland	Humid grasslands	-
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		-

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

Land-use	Extent (% of site)
agriculture	-
not utilised	-

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

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Shiant Isles. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/2593 on 28/05/2023.