S Portugal Has Undergone a Process of Percentage of Ibas (100% = 34 Sites) Modernization, Which Is Still Ongoing

Important Bird Areas in Europe – Portugal ■ PORTUGAL RUI RUFINO AND RENATO NEVES Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax at Campo Maior (IBA 019). (PHOTO: MÁRCIA PINTO) GENERAL INTRODUCTION dry south-east, and from the mild south-west to the continental extremes of the east and north-east. Most of the IBAs fall within The Portuguese territory comprises a continental area located in the those areas experiencing Mediterranean conditions, and many are south-west corner of mainland Europe, and two archipelagos, the situated along the Spanish border. These are areas of low population, Azores and Madeira, both situated in the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal where the landscape, although shaped by man, is not intensively itself extends over 89,000 km2, and is delimited by the Atlantic to managed. In comparison the large coastal wetlands have been the west and south and by Spain to the east and north. This chapter affected by intense human activity. is concerned with the continental territory; the Atlantic islands are A reassessment of the 36 IBAs identified in 1989 (Grimmett and dealt with in separate chapters (Azores p. 463, Madeira p. 473). Jones 1989) was undertaken for the current review. Six sites were re- Mainland Portugal has 34 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) covering moved from the 1989 list, and five new sites were identified (Table 1). 9,421 km2 or 10.6% of the continental area (Table 1). These are The sites removed were found to be less important for birds than was unevenly distributed in the country, with a larger proportion of sites previously thought. The new sites allow for better coverage of the in the south and east (Map 1). distribution of certain species, as habitat types that were poorly Due to its geographic location, Portugal’s climate is subject to covered by the former list, such as Quercus suber montados, have strong Atlantic and Mediterranean influences. A great variety of now been included. The boundaries of several sites were reviewed. landscapes therefore occur, ranging from the wet north-west to the Four IBAs identified in 1989 were merged to form two new IBAs: Table 1. Summary of Important Bird Areas in Portugal. 34 IBAs covering 9,421 km2 IBA 1989 code code International name National name Administrative region Area (ha) Criteria (see p. 11) 001 PT001 Minho and Coura estuaries Estuários do Minho e Coura Norte 3,393 C6 002 PT002 Gerês mountains Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês Norte 62,922 B2, C6 003 PT003, Montesinho and Nogueira mountains Serras de Montesinho e Nogueira Norte 108,089 B2, B3, C6 PT004 004 PT006 Sabôr and Maçãs Sabôr e Maçãs Norte 50,748 B2, C6 005 PT006 Upper River Douro and Águeda valleys Douro Internacional e Vale do Águeda Norte, Centro 50,744 B2, C2, C6 006 — Côa valley Vale do Côa Centro 23,727 B2, C6 007 PT010 Ria de Aveiro Ria de Aveiro Centro 52,720 A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, C2, C3, C4, C6 008 — Malcata mountains Serra da Malcata Centro 16,361 C6 009 PT036 Paul do Taipal Paul do Taipal Centro 233 C6 010 PT011 Paul de Arzila Paul de Arzila Centro 482 C6 011 PT012 Paul de Madriz Paul de Madriz Centro 89 C6 012 PT035 Toulões and Idanha-a-Nova Toulões e Idanha-a-Nova Centro 10,920 A1, B2, C1, C6 445 Important Bird Areas in Europe – Portugal Table 1 ... continued. Summary of Important Bird Areas in Portugal. 34 IBAs covering 9,421 km2 IBA 1989 code code International name National name Administrative region Area (ha) Criteria (see p. 11) 013 PT013 Upper River Tejo Tejo Internacional Centro 26,129 B2, C6 014 PT016 Berlenga and Farilhões islands Berlenga e Farilhões Lisboa e Vale do Tejo 9,560 A4ii, A4iii, B1ii, B2, C2, C4, C6 015 PT014 Paul do Boquilobo Paul do Boquilobo Lisboa e Vale do Tejo 433 A4i, B1i, C2, C3, C6 016 — Cabeção Cabeção Alentejo 20,227 A4iii, B2, C4, C6 017 PT031 Alter do Chão Alter do Chão Alentejo 7,959 A1, A4iii, B2, C1, C4, C6 018 PT029 Monforte plains Planície de Monforte Alentejo 9,426 A1, A4iii, B2, B3, C1, C4, C6 019 — Campo Maior Campo Maior Alentejo 9,355 A1, B1i, B2, C1, C2, C6 020 PT028 Vila Fernando Vila Fernando Alentejo 8,166 A1, B2, C1, C6 021 PT017 Tejo estuary Estuário do Tejo Lisboa e Vale do Tejo 45,071 A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3, C4, C6 022 — Coast of the Setúbal peninsula Costa da Península de Setúbal Lisboa e Vale do Tejo 22,930 C6 023 PT018 Sado estuary Estuário do Sado Alentejo 24,633 A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, C2, C3, C4, C6 024 PT019 Murta dam Açude da Murta Alentejo 498 A4i, B1i, C2, C3, C6 025 PT033 Évora plains Planície de Évora Alentejo 33,693 A1, B2, C1, C6 026 PT034 Alvito Alvito Alentejo 2,606 A1, B2, C1, C6 027 PT030 Mourão, Moura e Barrancos Mourão, Moura e Barrancos Alentejo 82,667 A1, B1i, B2, B3, C1, C2, C6 028 PT021, Santo André and Sancha lagoons Lagoas de Santo André e Sancha Alentejo Litoral 2,638 A4i, B1i, C3, C6 PT022 029 PT027 Castro Verde plains Castro Verde Alentejo 79,066 A1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C6 030 PT020 River Guadiana Rio Guadiana Alentejo 76,578 A1, B1iii, B2, B3, C1, C2, C6 031 PT023 South-west coast of Portugal Costa Sudoeste Alentejo Litoral, Algarve 74,563 B1iv, B2, C6 032 PT024 Leixão da Gaivota Leixão da Gaivota Algarve 1 C6 033 PT025 Ria Formosa (Faro lagoon) Ria Formosa Algarve 23,296 A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, C2, C4, C6 034 PT026 Castro Marim Castro Marim Algarve 2,147 A4i, B1i, B2, C2, C6 Sites identified in the previous inventory of IBAs in Europe (Grimmett and Jones 1989) but no longer considered to be IBAs PT005 Alvão mountain; PT007 Montemuro mountain; PT008 Arada and Freita mountains; PT009 Estrela mountain; PT015 Candeeiros mountain; PT032 Moura–Safara 003 and 028 (Table 1). One IBA identified in 1989 (former site PT006) Map 1. Location, area and criteria category of Important Bird Areas in Portugal. was redrawn and divided into two different sites: 004 and 005. ORNITHOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE ATLANTIC Table 1 details the criteria met by each IBA, and Map 1 provides a OCEAN 1 3 summary. Two globally threatened species, Falco naumanni and 2 Otis tarda, and one near-threatened species, Tetrax tetrax, breed 4 in mainland Portugal (Table 2), with over 90% of the national population of Otis tarda occurring within IBAs (Table 4). Coastal 5 wetlands (for example, 007, 021, 023, 033 and 034) and inland 0 75 150 6 wetlands (for example, 015 and 024) hold internationally km 7 important numbers of both breeding and wintering waterbirds (Table 3). One hundred and fifteen species of European conservation 9 8 concern (SPECs) breed regularly in Portugal (Tucker and Heath 10 1994) and 46 SPECs occur outside of the breeding season. Portugal 11 12 holds the only known breeding population of Oceanodroma castro 13 near mainland Europe, located within the Berlenga and Farilhões islands (014). 14 15 SPAIN Lowland plains hold important numbers of breeding steppic 17 species (for example, the SPECs Tetrax tetrax, Burhinus oedicnemus, 18 16 19 Pterocles orientalis and Melanocorypha calandra) and wintering 21 20 Grus grus, and inland cliffs support important numbers of breeding raptors. The national breeding populations of large and colonially nesting raptors (for example, Aquila chrysaetos, Hieraaetus 23 25 fasciatus, Gyps fulvus, Neophron percnopterus and Falco naumanni) 22 24 are largely included within the IBA network (Table 4). The 26 27 following sites are particularly important in this context: 002, 005, Highest category of 28 criteria met by IBA 013 and 030. A (20 IBAs) 29 30 B (7 IBAs) C (7 IBAs) 31 Table 2. Important Bird Areas in Portugal that are important for Area of IBA (ha) 34 species of global conservation concern (meeting criterion A1). 50,748 to 108,089 32 33 22,930 to 50,747 Species IBA code 3,393 to 22,929 Falco naumanni Lesser Kestrel 019, 029, 030 1 to 3,392 Tetrax tetrax Little Bustard 017, 018, 019, 020, 021, 025, 026, 027, 029 Otis tarda Great Bustard 012, 017, 018, 019, 020, 025, 026, 027, 029 446 Important Bird Areas in Europe – Portugal Overall, the majority of gregarious species such as shearwaters Table 3. Important Bird Areas in Portugal that support important numbers of one or more congregatory species (i.e. meeting and petrels, colonially nesting herons, raptors and waders, and criteria A4 and/or B1). IBAs meeting both criteria A4 and B1 for wintering ducks and waders are well covered by the IBA network the species are shown in bold. IBAs meeting only criterion B1 (Table 3). The network does not adequately cover dispersed species for the species concerned, and not A4, are shown in normal such as Ciconia ciconia, forest raptors (for example, Elanus caeruleus type. For key to ‘Season’, see p. 7. and Circaetus gallicus) and many passerines, for which conservation Species Season IBA code of the wider environment is required. Oceanodroma castro Madeiran Petrel B 014 Phalacrocorax carbo Cormorant W 023 Bubulcus ibis Cattle Egret R 015 HABITATS B 024 Egretta garzetta Little Egret B 015, 024 The Portuguese landscape has been shaped by intense human Platalea leucorodia Spoonbill B 015 activity over a long period of time. A variety of farmland types are W 033 found in the different regions, from the small intensively P 034 farmed fields of the north-west to the vast extensively farmed Phoenicopterus ruber Greater Flamingo W 021, 034 cereal fields of the south.

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