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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
Razorbill Alca torda	LC	breeding	1998-2000	3,157 individuals	B3
Common Murre Uria aalge	LC	breeding	1998-2000	43,744 individuals	B1ii, C3
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	breeding	1998-2000	32,161 breeding pairs	A4iii, C4
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	breeding	1998-2000	16,962 breeding pairs	A4iii, C4

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
European Shag Gulosus aristotelis	430	329	breeding pairs	77	near favourable
Razorbill Alca torda	2,194	3,157	individuals	100	favourable
Common Murre Uria aalge	31,045	43,744	individuals	100	favourable
A4iii Species group - seabirds	23,216	32,161	breeding pairs	100	favourable
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	21,620	16,962	breeding pairs	79	near favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
No known threats	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Not assessed	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1961	St Abb's Head to Fast Castle	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	100
1984	St Abb's Head	National Nature Reserve	31
1990	St Abb's Head to Fast Castle	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
1996	Berwickshire And North Northumberland Coast	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	21
1998	Berwickshire Coast (Intertidal)	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	21
2000	St Abb's Head to Fast Castle	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	51
2005	Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	34
2011	St Abb`s Head to Fast Castle	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	39

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		94
Shrubland	Scrub	5
Forest	Broadleaved deciduous woodland	1

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	20
agriculture	10

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: St Abbs Head to Fast Castle (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/st-abbs-head-to-fast-castle-iba-united-kingdom on 23/11/2024.