Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A complex of brackish coastal wetlands and saltpans around Cagliari in south Sardinia. It includes the following sites: Stagno di Cagliari, Saline di Quartu, Saline di Macchiareddu, Laguna di Santa Gilla, and Stagno di Molentargius. The main activities are salt-extraction and fishing.
An important site for a wide variety of wintering waterbirds (30,443 on January 1993; 42,216 on January 1994) and for breeding herons,
Phoenicopterus ruber, gulls and terns. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Aythya nyroca (max. 12, winter),
Larus audouinii (non-breeding visitor).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The main threats are: water pollution by urban sewage and by industrial and harbour discharges; illegal hunting; building of illegal tourist resorts and associated infrastructure; drainage of wetlands. The site is a proposed Regional Nature Reserve.
National None
International Partial3,466 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Stagno di Cagliari, 3,466 ha). 1,400 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Stagno di Molentargius, 1,400 ha). 3,466 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Stagno di Cagliari, 3,466 ha). 1,401 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Stagno di Molentargius, 1,401 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Cagliari wetlands (Italy). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/cagliari-wetlands-iba-italy on 23/11/2024.
