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The site was identified as important 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 List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Black Stork Ciconia nigra	LC	breeding	2000-2009	1-2 breeding pairs	C6
Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus	LC	winter	1990-2005	5-10 individuals	C6
Red Kite Milvus milvus	LC	breeding	1997-2009	2-3 breeding pairs	C6

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2009) may differ.

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	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Common Quail Coturnix coturnix	3	3	males	100	favourable
Black Stork Ciconia nigra	1	1	breeding pairs	100	favourable
Red Kite Milvus milvus	2	3	breeding pairs	100	favourable
Whinchat Saxicola rubetra	5	0	-	0	very unfavourable
Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis	1	1	-	100	favourable
Motacilla flava	6	0	-	0	very unfavourable

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Shrubland	very poor (< 40%)	very poor (< 40%)	very unfavourable
Grassland	very poor (< 40%)	very poor (< 40%)	very unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Natural system modifications	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	No management planning has taken place	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1965	Parc naturel de l'Our / Naturpark Our	Parc Naturel	97
1981	Troisvierges-Cornelysmillen	Humid Zone	22
1981	Hautbellain-Rittefenn	Humid Zone	16
1981	Hautbellain-Foschtbaach	Humid Zone	12
1989	Basbellain-Schucklai	Divers Nature Reserve	4
1996	Troisvierges - Cornelysmillen	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	24
2002	Vallée de la Woltz et affluents de la source à Troisvierges	Zones protégées d'intérêt communautaire - Zones Oiseaux ZPS	86
2004	Vallée de la Woltz et affluents de la source à Troisvierges	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	86
2004	Troisvierges - Cornelysmillen	Zones protégées d'intérêt communautaire - Zones Habitats ZSC	25

The Local Conservation Group(s) listed below are working to conserve this IBA.

Name	Year formed
LNVL Clervaux	0

For more information on BirdLife's work with Local Conservation Groups, please click here.

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland	Humid grasslands, Mesophile grasslands	49
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land, Forestry plantations, Other urban and industrial areas, Ruderal land	44
Forest	Alluvial and very wet forest, Broadleaved deciduous woodland, Mixed woodland	4
Shrubland	Scrub	2
Wetlands (inland)	Rivers and streams	1

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
rangeland/pastureland	49
agriculture	32
forestry	10
hunting	major (>10)
tourism/recreation	minor (<10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Valley of the Woltz (Luxembourg). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/valley-of-the-woltz-iba-luxembourg on 24/11/2024.