• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

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 (2004–2006)	2,073 birds	B1i, B2, C2

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
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis	2,073 / 1,100 (birds)	100	good

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
No known threats	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Some of area covered (10–49%)	Unknown	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented, but these are not compre­hensive and are limited by resources and capacity	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1988	Hill of White Hamars	Nature Reserve (IV)	2
1999	Switha	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	22

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Grassland	-
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	-
Shrubland	-	Heathland

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	100

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: South Walls and Switha (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/south-walls-and-switha-iba-united-kingdom on 28/12/2024.