Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A complex of two coastal lagoons and a stretch of well-consolidated sand-dunes, on the south-west coast of Portugal, just north of the town of Sines. Both lagoons have extensive reedbeds. This site is an amalgamation of two sites that featured in the previous pan-European IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989): Santo André Lagoon (former site PT021) and Sancha Lagoon (former site PT022).
Important numbers of breeding and wintering waterbirds occur, and the site also harbours large numbers of migrating passerines during autumn migration.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Hunting, grazing, and fishing with an excessive number of nets are the main causes of disturbance to birds. Tourist development along the northern border is causing habitat loss.
National None
International High409 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Lagoa da Sancha, 409 ha). 2,165 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Lagoa da Sto. André, 2,165 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Santo André and Sancha lagoons (Portugal). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/santo-andré-and-sancha-lagoons-iba-portugal on 24/12/2024.
