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The site was identified as important 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 List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos	LC	winter	2010	2,394-9,292 individuals	B1i, C3
Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio	LC	resident	2009	14 breeding pairs	C6
Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris	LC	resident	2009	1-2 breeding pairs	C6
Common Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus	LC	breeding	2009	5-30 breeding pairs	C6
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea	LC	breeding	2009	39-56 breeding pairs	B1i, C2, C6
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	breeding	2002	150-165 breeding pairs	C6
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	NT	winter	2008	70 individuals	A1, C1
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	LC	breeding	2009	10 breeding pairs	C6
Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor	LC	breeding	2009	present	C6
Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon	LC	breeding	2009	18 breeding pairs	C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter	1994-1997	20,000-49,999 individuals	A4iii, C4

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2011) may differ.

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.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos	18,000	0	breeding pairs	0	not assessed
Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris	6	2	individuals	34	very unfavourable

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	very poor (< 40%)	very poor (< 40%)	very unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Natural system modifications	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Residential and commercial development	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	high
Energy production and mining	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Transportation and service corridors	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	Unknown	The conservation measures needed for the site are being comprehensively and effectively implemented	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1983	Aiguamolls de l`Empordà	Parque Natural	87
1983	Les Llaunes	Reserva Natural Integral	10
1983	Els Estanys	Reserva Natural Integral	6
1983	Illa de Caramany	Reserva Natural Integral	<1
1983	Aiguamolls de l'Empordà	Nature Park	94
1985	Aiguamolls de l'Empordà	Integral Nature Reserve	17
1987	L`illa de Caramany	Reserva Natural Parcial	<1
1988	Aiguamolls de l'Alt Empordà	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	94
1992	Aiguamolls de l`Alt Empordà	Plan Especial de Protección (PEIN)	93
1993	Aiguamolls de l’Empordà	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	94
1997	Aiguamolls de l'Alt Empordà	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	93

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Terrestrial	Highly improved re-seeded landscapes, Arable land	70
Grassland	Humid grasslands, Mesophile grasslands	35
Forest	Alluvial and very wet forest	30
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		-
Marine Intertidal		-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	90
agriculture	60
tourism/recreation	20
forestry	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ampurdán marshes (Spain). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ampurdán-marshes-iba-spain on 23/11/2024.