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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2009 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
Hazel Grouse Tetrastes bonasia	LC	resident (2000–2009)	5–20 pairs	C6
Black Stork Ciconia nigra	LC	breeding (2000–2009)	1–2 pairs	C6
Osprey Pandion haliaetus	LC	passage (2000–2009)	10–20 birds	C6
European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus	LC	breeding (2000–2009)	1–5 pairs	C6
Middle Spotted Woodpecker Leiopicus medius	LC	breeding (2000–2009)	5–10 pairs	C6

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2009. The most recent assessment (2009) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Actual vs Reference (units)	% remaining	Result
Hazel Grouse Tetrastes bonasia	10 / 30 (pairs)	34	very poor
Osprey Pandion haliaetus	15 / 15 (pairs)	100	good

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Forest	poor (40–69%)	poor (40–69%)	very poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	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%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	No management plan exists, but the management planning process has begun	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1981	Lac de la Haute-Sûre / Insenborn-Buurgknapp	Forest Reserve (-)	3
1981	Lac de la Haute-Sûre / Neunhausen-Ningserboesch	Forest Reserve (-)	13
1981	Pont Misère-Barrage de retenue	Humid Zone (-)	8
1981	Lac de la Haute-Sûre / Mecher-Schlaedchen	Forest Reserve (-)	4
1989	Boulaide/Bauschleiden-Paaffels	Humid Zone (-)	6
1999	Parc Naturel de la Haute-Sûre / Naturpark Öewersauer	Parc Naturel (II)	73
2002	Vallée supérieure de la Sûre et affluents de la frontière belge à Esch-sur-Sûre	Zones protégées d'intérêt communautaire - Zones Oiseaux ZPS (IV)	88
2003	Vallée de la Haute-Sûre	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance (IV)	100
2004	Vallée supérieure de la Sûre / Lac du barrage	Zones protégées d'intérêt communautaire - Zones Habitats ZSC (IV)	84
2014	Bruch - Pont Misère	Zones protégées d'intérêt national - Réserve naturelle (Ib)	22

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Forest	51	Broadleaved deciduous woodland; Native coniferous woodland; Alluvial and very wet forest
Artificial/Terrestrial	25	Arable land; Forestry plantations
Wetlands (inland)	10	Standing freshwater; Rivers and streams
Grassland	9	Mesophile grasslands
Shrubland	5	Scrub

Land use	% of IBA
forestry	71
water management	10
rangeland/pastureland	9
agriculture	5
hunting	-
nature conservation and research	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Upper Valley of the Sure (Luxembourg). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/upper-valley-of-the-sure-iba-luxembourg on 23/12/2024.