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The site was identified as important in 2012 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
Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus	LC	breeding	2005-2011	< 50 breeding pairs	B2
White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala	EN	winter	2005-2011	1-4 individuals	A1, C1
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna	LC	winter	2005-2011	500-1,500 individuals	B1i, C3
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	winter	2005-2011	1,000-9,500 individuals	A4i, B1i, C2
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo	LC	passage	2005-2011	20-60 individuals	B1i, C3
Common Crane Grus grus	LC	passage	2005-2011	100-1,000 individuals	B1i, C2
Little Egret Egretta garzetta	LC	passage	2005-2011	100-600 individuals	B1i, C2
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	breeding	2005-2011	10-40 breeding pairs	C6
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus	LC	passage	2005-2011	150-500 individuals	B1i, C2
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus	LC	breeding	2005-2011	18-32 breeding pairs	C6
Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus	LC	breeding	2005-2011	1-15 breeding pairs	B2, C6
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	NT	winter	2005-2011	20-40 individuals	C1
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola	LC	passage	2005-2011	50-300 individuals	B1i, C2
Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra	LC	breeding	2005-2011	< 50 breeding pairs	C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter	2005-2011	9,000-20,000 individuals	A4iii, C4

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2012) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2012. The most recent assessment (2016) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Energy production and mining	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Transportation and service corridors	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Natural system modifications	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	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
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Not assessed	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
1961	Larnaca Saltwater Lake	Game Reserve ("Hunting Preserve")	-
2000	Alykes Larnakas	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	73
2001	Larnaca Salt Lake	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	74
2008	Alykes Larnakas	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	73

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land, Other urban and industrial areas, Perennial crops, orchards and groves, Urban parks and gardens	55
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		36
Grassland		9

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	70
agriculture	20
urban/industrial/transport	10

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Larnaca Salt Lakes (Cyprus). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/larnaca-salt-lakes-iba-cyprus on 22/11/2024.