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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
Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca	VU	winter (1988–1989)	41 birds	B2
Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus	VU	winter (2000–2001)	141 birds	B1i, C2
Common Loon Gavia immer	LC	winter (2000–2001)	141 birds	A4i, B1i, C3, C6
European Shag Gulosus aristotelis	LC	winter (1988–1989)	2,800 birds	A4i, B1i, C3
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	NT	winter (2001–2006)	1,812 birds	B2
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle	LC	breeding (1999–2000)	721 birds	B1ii, B2, C3

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
Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus	141 / 50 (birds)	100	good
Common Loon Gavia immer	438 / 170 (birds)	100	good
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle	721 / 830 (birds)	87	moderate

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Pollution	likely in short term (<4 years)	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Transportation and service corridors	likely in short term (<4 years)	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Energy production and mining	likely in short term (<4 years)	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
Little/none of area covered (<10%)	No management planning has taken place	Very little or no conservation action taking place	very low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1972	Hobbister	Nature Reserve (IV)	<1
1973	Waulkmill	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	<1
1999	Switha	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	<1
2011	Hoy	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR) (UA)	5

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

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 23/12/2024.