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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
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis	LC	winter (1994–1997)	3,640 birds	A4i, B1i, B2, C2, C6
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons	LC	winter (1994–1997)	2,590 birds	B1i, C2, C3, C6
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	LC	resident (2002)	26 pairs	B2, C6

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
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	26 / 21 (pairs)	100	good

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Residential and commercial development	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% 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90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists, but it is out of date or not compre­hensive	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented, but these are not compre­hensive and are limited by resources and capacity	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
-	Loch Gruinart/Ardnave	RSPB Reserve (-)	7
1983	Loch Gruinart & Ardnave	Nature Reserve (IV)	8
1983	Glac na Criche	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	3
1984	Feur Lochain - Moine nam Faoileann	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	4
1987	Rinns of Islay	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	89
1996	Smaull Farm	Nature Reserve (IV)	4

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Artificial/Terrestrial	-	Arable land
Forest	-	Mixed woodland
Grassland	-	Humid grasslands; Machair
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	-
Shrubland	-	Heathland
Wetlands (inland)	-	Standing freshwater; Blanket bogs

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	90
urban/industrial/transport	5
water management	5

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Rinns of Islay (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/rinns-of-islay-iba-united-kingdom on 06/12/2024.