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• Text account
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• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as important in 2007 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
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	LC	breeding	2006	40 breeding pairs	B2
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	LC	resident	2003-2007	8-15 breeding pairs	C6

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2007) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2007) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	4	12	breeding pairs	100	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Natural system modifications	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	high
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Energy production and mining	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	low

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90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1970	Suffolk Coast and Heaths	Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty	100
1979	Suffolk	Heritage Coast	60
1993	Benacre	National Nature Reserve	87
1995	Benacre To Easton Bavents Lagoons	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	70
1996	Benacre to Easton Bavents	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
2005	Pakefield To Easton Bavents	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	100
2017	Southern North Sea	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	17

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland	Mesophile grasslands, Humid grasslands	major (>10)
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		major (>10)
Marine Intertidal		major (>10)
Forest	Broadleaved deciduous woodland	minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
nature conservation and research	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Benacre to Easton Bavents (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/benacre-to-easton-bavents-iba-united-kingdom on 23/11/2024.