Data Zone
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbary Partridge Alectoris barbara | LC | resident (1993) | 6 pairs | B2 |
| Eurasian Thick-knee Burhinus oedicnemus | LC | resident (1993–1995) | 5–6 pairs | B1i, C2, C6 |
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.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2008 | good | very high | low |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| yes | population | good | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Actual vs Reference (units) | % remaining | Result | ||
| Barbary Partridge Alectoris barbara | 20 / 20 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Rock Dove Columba livia | 80 / 80 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Calonectris diomedea | 50 / 50 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Burhinus oedicnemus | 2 / 2 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Charadrius alexandrinus | 9 / 9 (adults) | 100 | good | ||
| Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus | 5 / 5 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Lanius excubitor | 5 / 5 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Spectacled Warbler Curruca conspicillata | 60 / 60 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis | 100 / 100 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Berthelot's Pipit Anthus berthelotii | 50 / 50 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus | 20 / 20 (adults) | 100 | good | ||
| Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Human intrusions and disturbance | happening now | whole of population/area (>90%) | rapid decline (>30% over 3 generations) | very high |
| Biological resource use | happening now | most of population/area (50–90%) | rapid decline (>30% over 3 generations) | very high |
| Residential and commercial development | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | rapid decline (>30% over 3 generations) | high |
| Transportation and service corridors | 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 |
| Agricultural expansion and intensification | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | slow decline (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Energy production and mining | happening now | few individuals/small area (<10%) | no or slight decline (<1% over 3 generations) | low |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Some of area covered (10–49%) | A management plan exists, but it is out of date or not comprehensive | Very little or no conservation action taking place | low |
| Year | Protected Area | Designation (management category) | % coverage of IBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Montaña Roja | Reserva Natural Especial (V) | 13 |
| 1994 | Montaña Pelada | Monumento Natural (III) | 11 |
| Habitat | % of IBA | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | - | Arable land; Ruderal land |
| Desert | - | Semidesert |
| Grassland | - | Steppes and dry calcareous grassland |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | - | |
| Marine Intertidal | - | |
| Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | - | Inland cliffs |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| fisheries/aquaculture | 26 |
| tourism/recreation | 26 |
| agriculture | - |
| military | - |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: El Médano coast (Spain). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/el-médano-coast-iba-spain on 23/12/2024.