ES080
Altos de Barahona high moor


IBA Justification

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
Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis LC resident (2002) 20–25 pairs C2, C6
Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax NT breeding (2002) 30–40 birds A1, C1, C6
Great Bustard Otis tarda EN non-breeding (2010) 40–50 birds A1, C1
Eurasian Thick-knee Burhinus oedicnemus LC breeding (2000) 40–50 pairs C6
Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti VU resident (2007) min 300 males A1, B2, C1, C2, C6

IBA Conservation

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2011. The most recent assessment (2008) is shown below.

IBA conservation assessment
Year of assessment State Pressure Response
2008 poor 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
Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis 150 / 150 (pairs) 100 not assessed
Great Bustard Otis tarda 46 / 46 (birds) 100 not assessed
Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti 300 / 1,100 (males) 28 not assessed

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat Quantity (% remaining) Quality (% carrying capacity) Result
Grassland moderate (70–90%) moderate (70–90%) poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat Timing Scope Severity Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification happe­ning now most of popul­ation/area (50–90%) moderate decline (10–30% 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%) slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations) medium

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

Habitats

Habitat % of IBA Habitat detail
Grassland 60 Steppes and dry calcareous grassland
Artificial/Terrestrial 30 Arable land
Forest 10 Broadleaved evergreen woodland
Shrubland - Scrub

Land use

Land use % of IBA
agriculture 100
hunting 90


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Altos de Barahona high moor (Spain). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/altos-de-barahona-high-moor-iba-spain on 24/12/2024.