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• Text account
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• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation 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 List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus	LC	winter (2001–2006)	76 birds	C6
Gadwall Mareca strepera	LC	breeding (1990–1995)	33 pairs	B2
Common Teal Anas crecca	LC	winter (2001–2006)	4,046 birds	B1i, C3
Spotted Crake Porzana porzana	LC	breeding (1995)	6 pairs	C6
Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria	LC	winter (2001–2006)	3,454 birds	C6
Ruff Calidris pugnax	LC	winter (2001–2006)	100 birds	C6
Ruff Calidris pugnax	LC	breeding (1995)	6 pairs	C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter (2001–2006)	55,836 birds	A4iii, C4

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	Actual vs Reference (units)	% remaining	Result
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus	76 / 52 (birds)	100	good
Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus	3 / 45 (birds)	7	very poor
Anas crecca	4,046 / 5,800 (birds)	70	moderate
Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria	3,454 / 5,050 (birds)	69	poor
Ruff Calidris pugnax	100 / 115 (birds)	87	moderate
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	55,836 / 38,087 (birds)	100	good

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Pollution	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Energy production and mining	likely in short term (<4 years)	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists, but it is out of date or not compre­hensive	Not assessed	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1986	Melbourne and Thornton Ings	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	18
1986	River Derwent	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	16
1986	Newton Mask	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	1
1990	Lower Derwent Valley	National Nature Reserve (IV)	39
1992	Derwent Ings	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	61
1992	Breighton Meadows	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	2

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Forest	-	Broadleaved deciduous woodland; Alluvial and very wet forest
Grassland	-
Wetlands (inland)	-	Standing freshwater; Rivers and streams; Blanket bogs; Water fringe vegetation; Fens, transition mires and springs

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
nature conservation and research	-
water management	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lower Derwent Valley (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lower-derwent-valley-iba-united-kingdom on 23/12/2024.