Data Zone
The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2011 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.
Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:| Species | Red List | Season (year/s of estimate) | Size | IBA criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax | NT | resident (2006) | 255–310 birds | A1, C1, C6 |
| Great Bustard Otis tarda | EN | resident (2006) | 151 birds | A1, C1, C6 |
Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2011. The most recent assessment (2007) is shown below.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2007 | moderate | high | very low |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| yes | habitat | good | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Actual vs Reference (units) | % remaining | Result | ||
| Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax | 300 / 300 (pairs) | 100 | not assessed | ||
| Great Bustard Otis tarda | 65 / 80 (pairs) | 82 | not assessed | ||
| Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus | 3 / 2 (pairs) | 100 | not assessed | ||
| State (condition of the trigger species' habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat | Quantity (% remaining) | Quality (% carrying capacity) | Result |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | good (>90%) | moderate (70–90%) | moderate |
| Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Human intrusions and disturbance | happening now | most of population/area (50–90%) | moderate decline (10–30% over 3 generations) | high |
| Agricultural expansion and intensification | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | rapid decline (>30% over 3 generations) | high |
| Energy production and mining | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | rapid decline (>30% over 3 generations) | high |
| Transportation and service corridors | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | moderate decline (10–30% over 3 generations) | high |
| Biological resource use | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | slow decline (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Residential and commercial development | happening now | few individuals/small area (<10%) | rapid decline (>30% over 3 generations) | low |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Little/none of area covered (<10%) | No management planning has taken place | Very little or no conservation action taking place | very low |
| Habitat | % of IBA | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | 95 | Arable land; Perennial crops, orchards and groves; Ruderal land |
| Shrubland | 5 | Sclerophyllous scrub, garrigue and maquis |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| hunting | 100 |
| agriculture | 80 |
| urban/industrial/transport | 20 |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Alcarria de Alcalá steppes (Spain). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/alcarria-de-alcalá-steppes-iba-spain on 26/12/2024.