BirdLife International Marine Programme Marine Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas

(Marine IBAs)

Marguerite Tarzia- Marine Conservation Officer, BirdLife Europe marguerite.tarzia@birdlife.org

Photo: Pep Arcos

• IBA programme is a method of identifying the most significant places on earth for birds

• Marine IBA identification pioneered in Europe • Marine IBAs identified using rigorous, repeatable & standardised

methods used across global Partnership • 5 types of marine IBAs currently recognised

• Seabird colonies (terrestrial) • Extension areas around colonies • Non-breeding congregations • Migratory bottleneck • Pelagic areas

Marine Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas (marine IBAs)

Marine IBA toolkit • BirdLife Marine IBA Toolkit published in 2010 • Based on expert input from seabird scientists in a series of workshops

in France, Spain and Portugal • Guidance on sampling methodology- at sea surveys, tracking,

modelling methods, incorporation of habitat data • Number of years to track & survey birds • Information on BirdLife criteria for site validation • Guidance document used by BirdLife Partners when undertaking marine IBA projects www.birdlife.org/datazone/userfiles/file/Marine/Marinetoolkitnew.pdf

• Marine IBA programme allows for innovation & scientific development, which can then be shared

across the BL Partners

Marine IBA process • Identify priority species to focus on • Collect data on seabird distribution & habitat • Coastal counts, • At-sea surveys, • Tracking of individuals • Habitat & prey information

• Analyse data, model presence • Delineate boundaries based on criteria • Submit sites to BirdLife International

Marine IBA criteria- Global • A1. Species of global conservation concern The site regularly holds significant numbers of a globally threatened

species, or other species of global conservation concern.

• A4. Congregations • ii. The site is known or thought to hold, on a regular basis, ≥ 1% of the

global population of a congregatory seabird or terrestrial species. • iii. The site is known or thought to hold, on a regular basis, ≥ 20,000

waterbirds or ≥ 10,000 pairs of seabird of one or more species.

BirdLife European biogeographic regional IBA criteria • B1. Congregations ii. The site is known or thought to hold ≥ 1% of a distinct population of a seabird

species. • B2. Species with an unfavourable conservation status in Europe The site is one of the most important in the country for a species with an

unfavourable conservation status in Europe (SPEC 2, 3) and for which the site-protection approach is thought to be appropriate.

• B3. Species with a favourable conservation status in Europe The site is one of the 'n' most important in the country for a species with a favourable

conservation status in Europe but concentrated in Europe (SPEC 4) and for which the site-protection approach is thought to be appropriate.

BirdLife EU IBA criteria •C1. Species of global conservation concern The site regularly holds significant numbers of a globally threatened species, or other species of global conservation concern.

•C2. Concentrations of a species threatened at the European Union level

The site is known to regularly hold at least 1% of a flyway population or of the EU population of a species threatened at the EU level (listed on Annex I and referred to in Article 4.1 of the EC Birds Directive).

•C3. Congregations of migratory species not threatened at the EU level

The site is known to regularly hold at least 1% of a flyway population of a migratory species not considered threatened at the EU level (as referred to in Article 4.2 of the EC Birds Directive) (not listed on Annex I).

• C4. Congregatory – large congregations The site is known to regularly hold at least 10,000 pairs of migratory seabirds of one or more species.

• C6. Species threatened at the European Union level The site is one of the five most important in the European region (NUTS region) in question for a species or subspecies considered threatened in the European Union (i.e. listed in Annex I of the EC Birds Directive).

BirdLife EU IBA criteria

Marine IBAs in Europe • Over 650 confirmed marine IBA sites identified in the

EU by the BirdLife Partners • Displayed in the BirdLife Marine E-atlas • maps.birdlife.org/marineIBAs/default.html

Marine IBA —> Marine Protected Area

• Marine IBAs represent the most important sites for seabirds using criteria directly comparable to that used for Special Protection Areas (Natura 2000)

• Marine IBAs are used for designating Natura 2000 sites in EU countries

• BirdLife partners now working on recommendations for management of designated marine IBAs (feed in to SPA management plans)

• Offshore protection still low across the EU, • Site identification remains a priority for countries

including inshore and offshore

Progress mIBAs→SPAs

Questions?