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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
Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax	NT	resident (2005)	100–150 birds	A1, C1
Black Stork Ciconia nigra	LC	passage (2008)	40–50 birds	B1i, C2, C6
Black Stork Ciconia nigra	LC	breeding (2008)	10–14 pairs	B1i, C2, C6
White Stork Ciconia ciconia	LC	breeding (2005)	150–200 pairs	C6
Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus	LC	resident (2008)	165–170 pairs	C2, C6
Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus	NT	resident (2006)	18–20 pairs	A1, B1iii, B2, C1, C2, C6
Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti	VU	resident (2011)	32–36 pairs	A1, B2, C1, C2, C6
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos	LC	resident (2009)	10–12 pairs	C6
Bonelli's Eagle Aquila fasciata	LC	resident (2005)	max 1 pairs	C6
Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus	LC	breeding (2009)	80–100 pairs	B1iii, C2, C6
Red Kite Milvus milvus	LC	winter (2004)	20–30 birds	A1, C1
Red Kite Milvus milvus	LC	non-breeding (2004)	40–50 birds	A1, C1

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2011. The most recent assessment (2007) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Forest	very poor (<40%)	good (>90%)	very poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Residential and commercial development	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Pollution	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Transportation and service corridors	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Biological resource use	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
Most of area (50–90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	Not assessed	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1961	Pinar de Abantos y Zona de la Herreria del Real Sitio de San Lorenzo del Escorial	Paraje Pintoresco (IV)	1
1999	Curso Medio del Río Guadarrama y su entorno	Parque Regional (V)	4

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Forest	26	Broadleaved deciduous woodland; Alluvial and very wet forest; Broadleaved evergreen woodland; Treeline ecotone
Shrubland	26	Sclerophyllous scrub, garrigue and maquis
Artificial/Terrestrial	-	Arable land; Perennial crops, orchards and groves; Ruderal land
Grassland	-	Dry siliceous grassland
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	-	Scree & boulders
Wetlands (inland)	-	Standing freshwater; Rivers and streams

Land use	% of IBA
forestry	26
hunting	26
agriculture	26
tourism/recreation	26
urban/industrial/transport	-
water management	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: El Escorial-San Martín de Valdeiglesias (Spain). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/el-escorial-san-martín-de-valdeiglesias-iba-spain on 23/12/2024.