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The site was identified as important 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 List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca	VU	winter	1988-1989	41 individuals	B2
Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus	VU	winter	2000-2001	141 individuals	B1i, C2
Common Loon Gavia immer	LC	winter	2000-2001	141 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3, C6
European Shag Gulosus aristotelis	LC	winter	1988-1989	2,800 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	NT	winter	2001-2006	1,812 individuals	B2
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle	LC	breeding	1999-2000	721 individuals	B1ii, B2, C3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2007) may differ.

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	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus	50	141	individuals	100	favourable
Common Loon Gavia immer	170	438	individuals	100	favourable
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle	830	721	individuals	87	near favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Pollution	likely in short term (within 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	low
Transportation and service corridors	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	low
Energy production and mining	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%)	No management planning has taken place	Very little or no conservation action taking place	negligible

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1972	Hobbister	Nature Reserve	<1
1973	Waulkmill	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	<1
1980	Hoy and West Mainland	National Scenic Area	14
1994	Hoy	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	5
1999	Switha	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	<1
2011	Hoy	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	5

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Neritic		major (>10)
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		-
Marine Intertidal		-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
fisheries/aquaculture	-
other	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Scapa Flow (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/scapa-flow-iba-united-kingdom on 22/11/2024.