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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 IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('key species') at the site:

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris	NT	breeding (2011)	present	B2, C6
Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris	NT	non-breeding (2011)	max 3 individuals	B2, C6
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	resident (2008)	70–257 breeding pairs	B1i, C2, C6
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	breeding (2008)	50–150 breeding pairs	C6
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus	LC	resident (2008)	max 273 breeding pairs	B1i, B2, C2
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa	NT	winter (2008)	max 150 individuals	A1, C1
Audouin's Gull Larus audouinii	VU	winter (2008)	max 500 individuals	A1, C1
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	LC	breeding (2007–2008)	165–220 breeding pairs	B1i, B2, C2, C6
Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica	LC	breeding (2008)	max 200 breeding pairs	B1i, B2, C2

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2011. The most recent assessment (2017) is shown below.

State (condition of the key species' populations)
Species	Actual vs Reference (units)	% remaining	Result
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	53 / 99 (breeding pairs)	54	unfavourable
Charadrius alexandrinus	91 / 248 (breeding pairs)	37	very unfavourable
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	1 / 4 (breeding pairs)	25	very unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the key species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Pollution	happen­ing now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happen­ing now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Climate change and severe weather	likely in short term (within 4 years)	whole popul­ation/area (>90%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happen­ing now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	no deteri­oration (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Residential and commercial development	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	no deteri­oration (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the key species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	No manage­ment planning has taken place	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1992	Salinas y Arenales de San Pedro del Pinatar	Parque Regional (II)	6
1992	Espacios Abiertos e Islas del Mar Menor	Paisaje Protegido (V)	6

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	-
Marine Intertidal	-

Land use	% of IBA
tourism/recreation	95
fisheries/aquaculture	90
military	10

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mar Menor coastal lagoon (Spain). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mar-menor-coastal-lagoon-iba-spain on 25/01/2025.