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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
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	passage	2001-2006	91 individuals	B2, C6
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	winter	2001-2006	255 individuals	B2, C6
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	LC	breeding	1990	4 breeding pairs	C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter	2001-2006	20,543 individuals	A4iii, C4

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
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	83	255	individuals	100	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Pollution	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Natural system modifications	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant 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	No management plan exists but the management planning process has begun	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1970	Suffolk Coast and Heaths	Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty	100
1979	Suffolk	Heritage Coast	40
1979	Suffolk Coast	Heritage Coast	-
1987	Ferry Cliff, Sutton	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	<1
1987	Ramsholt Cliff	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	<1
1991	Deben Estuary	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	100
1996	Deben Estuary	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	100
1998	Deben Estuary	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
1998	Sutton Hoo	Nature Reserve	4
2011	Deben Estuary	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	67

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Intertidal		major (>10)
Marine Neritic		major (>10)
Shrubland	Scrub	minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Deben Estuary (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/deben-estuary-iba-united-kingdom on 23/11/2024.