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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2002 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
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus	LC	winter (1997–2001)	1,460 birds	C3
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	LC	winter (1997–2001)	1,991 birds	A4i, B1i, C3
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra	LC	winter (1997–2001)	30,634 birds	A4i, B1i, C3
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia	LC	breeding (2000)	2 pairs	C6
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax	LC	winter (1993–1998)	76 birds	C6
Great White Egret Ardea alba	LC	winter (1997–2001)	439 birds	C6
Little Egret Egretta garzetta	LC	winter (1997–2001)	974 birds	C6
Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus	LC	breeding (1999)	7 pairs	C6
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	winter (1997–2001)	423 birds	C6
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	breeding (2000)	350–400 pairs	A4i, B1ii, C2, C6
Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria	LC	winter (2000)	present	C6
Dunlin Calidris alpina	NT	winter (1997–2001)	25,159 birds	A4i, B1i, C3
Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus	LC	winter (1997–2001)	214 birds	C6
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	LC	breeding (2000)	300–350 pairs	A4i, B1ii, B2, C2, C6
Common Tern Sterna hirundo	LC	breeding (2000)	1,000–1,300 pairs	C6
Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis	LC	breeding (1999)	570 pairs	C2, C6
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	LC	winter (1997–2001)	96 birds	C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter (1997)	55,793 birds	A4iii, C4

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2002. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Actual vs Reference (units)	% remaining	Result
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus	837 / 1,460 (birds)	58	poor
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	918 / 1,991 (birds)	47	poor
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra	23,957 / 30,634 (birds)	79	moderate
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia	2 / 2 (pairs)	100	good
Egretta garzetta	541 / 974 (birds)	56	poor
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	257 / 325 (pairs)	80	moderate
Common Tern Sterna hirundo	533 / 1,150 (pairs)	47	poor
Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis	476 / 570 (pairs)	84	moderate
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	79 / 96 (birds)	83	moderate

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	-	very poor (<40%)	very poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Residential and commercial development	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Pollution	past (and unlikely to return) and no longer limiting	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	moderate decline (10–30% 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	Unknown	very low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1991	Cà Roman	Wildlife Reserve (-)	<1
1996	Seca del Bacan	Wildlife Reserve (-)	<1
1996	Dune degli Alberoni	Wildlife Reserve (-)	<1
1996	Isolotto petrolchimico e Laguna Viva	Wildlife Reserve (-)	21
1996	Laghetti Decal	Wildlife Reserve (-)	<1
1996	Le Vignole - La Certosa	Wildlife Reserve (-)	<1
1996	Barene di S. Giuliano	Wildlife Reserve (-)	<1
1996	Boschi di Cà Savio - Punta Sabbioni	Wildlife Reserve (-)	<1
1996	Pineta di Cà Ballarin	Wildlife Reserve (-)	<1
1996	Vallesina - Canale Casson	Wildlife Reserve (-)	<1
1996	Casse di Colmata	Wildlife Reserve (-)	2
1997	Valle Millecampi	State Nature Reserve (-)	-

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Artificial/Terrestrial	7	Highly improved re-seeded landscapes; Arable land; Urban parks and gardens; Other urban and industrial areas
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	major (>10)
Marine Intertidal	major (>10)
Marine Neritic	major (>10)
Forest	-

Land use	% of IBA
fisheries/aquaculture	30
water management	30
hunting	20
urban/industrial/transport	10
agriculture	5
tourism/recreation	5
nature conservation and research	5

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Venice lagoon (Italy). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/venice-lagoon-iba-italy on 23/12/2024.