| 7000022 |
UK11001 |
Abberton Reservoir |
Classified/designatd |
E |
726.2 |
|
Essex |
24/07/1981 |
51 49 37 N |
00 52 22 E |
597597 |
217145 |
TL979182 |
5 |
22 |
|
Abberton Reservoir is a large storage reservoir built in a long shallow valley. It is the largest freshwater body in Essex and is one of the most important reservoirs in Britain for wildfowl. It is less than 8 km from the coast and its primary role is as a roost for the local estuarine wildfowl population. |
|
Nearest town/city: Colchester
Abberton Reservoir is about 6.5 km south of Colchester, Essex. It lies in the Layer Brook valley just before the Brook joins with the Roman River. The Reservoir is less than 8 km from the coast. |
Abberton Reservoir is a large storage reservoir. The main habitat type is freshwater; there are no important vegetated habitats. |
Invasive species: blue-green algal blooms have been a problem on the site in the past few years. |
None reported |
Fauna.
Numbers of migratory and wintering wildfowl and waders are monitored annually as part of the national Wetland Birds Survey (WeBS) organised by the British Trust for Ornithology, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Cormorant ringing/study.
Environment.
Environmental impact assessment re. reservoir-raising, including the study of waterfowl usage on site. |
The Essex Wildlife Trust employs an education officer at their visitor centre. There are also educational facilities at the water treatment works (Essex and Suffolk Water). |
Activities, Facilities provided and Seasonality.
Birdwatching: all year - there is a nature reserve and hides.
Duck feeding on the causeway: all year - no facilities are provided for this.
Angling: fishing season only. |
Cranswick, PA, Waters, RJ, Musgrove, AJ & Pollitt, MS (1997) <i>The Wetland Bird Survey 199596: wildfowl and wader counts</i>. British Trust for Ornithology, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds & Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Slimbridge
Ekins, G (1995) The Abberton Reservoir tree-nesting cormorant colony. <i>Essex Bird Report</i>, <b>1994</b>, 153-167
Musgrove, AJ, Pollitt, MS, Hall, C, Hearn, RD, Holloway, SJ, Marshall, PE, Robinson, JA & Cranswick, PA (2001) <i>The Wetland Bird Survey 19992000: wildfowl and wader counts</i>. British Trust for Ornithology, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds & Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Slimbridge. www.wwt.org.uk/publications/default.asp?PubID=14
Pritchard, DE, Housden, SD, Mudge, GP, Galbraith, CA & Pienkowski, MW (eds.) (1992) <i>Important Bird Areas in the United Kingdom including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man</i>. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy
Ratcliffe, DA (ed.) (1977) <i>A Nature Conservation Review. The selection of biological sites of national importance to nature conservation in Britain</i>. Cambridge University Press (for the Natural Environment Research Council and the Nature Conservancy Council), Cambridge (2 vols.)
Stroud, DA, Chambers, D, Cook, S, Buxton, N, Fraser, B, Clement, P, Lewis, P, McLean, I, Baker, H & Whitehead, S (eds.) (2001) <i>The UK SPA network: its scope and content</i>. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough (3 vols.) www.jncc.gov.uk/UKSPA/default.htm |
01/09/1990 |
|
|
| 9000365 |
UK32001 |
Akrotiri |
Classified/designatd |
OT |
2171 |
|
Western Sovereign Base Area of Cyprus |
20/03/2003 |
34 37 00 N |
32 58 00 E |
0 |
0 |
|
-3 |
2 |
-0.5 |
The Akrotiri Ramsar site is composed of two distinct areas that are hydrologically connected. The first and largest area is the large salt lake and sand flats that are situated in the centre of the Akrotiri peninsula. Over the last three centuries, this former lagoon has been isolated from the sea and a number of saltmarsh vegetation communities have developed and now surround the lake. The lake and surrounding saltmarsh is important for a range of wetland birds, in particular greater flamingo $Phoenicopterus ruber$. A eucalyptus forest borders the northern side of the lake and this is an important raptor roosting area. The second distinct area is the Fassouri marshes that lie to the north-east of the salt lake. This area is made up of a matrix of freshwater habitat types including grazing marsh and reedbeds. Rain water is the key hydrological input for both areas, although the lake does get occasional input from the sea during storms. The two areas are hydrologically linked and the Fassouri marshes provide important water inputs to the seasonal salt lake. |
The site qualifies under Criterion 1 of the Ramsar Convention as it is one of the very few major salt lakes within the eastern Mediterranean in semi-natural condition that exhibits a wide range of saline and freshwater influences. The site contains many good examples of inland saline and freshwater wetland habitats, a combination that is unique within the biogeographic region of the eastern Mediterranean, including permanent and seasonal saline pools, salt marsh, sand flats and freshwater marshes. The site is the largest aquatic system in Cyprus.
The site qualifies under Criterion 2 as it supports an appreciable number of rare, vulnerable or endangered species or subspecies of plant or animal including 13 endemic and rare plant species such as $Ophrys kotschyi$ and $Linum maritimum$, as well as over 32 bird species listed on Annex I of the European Birds Directive.
The site qualifies under Criterion 3 as it supports populations of plant and animal species that are important for maintaining the biological diversity of the eastern Mediterranean biogeographic region. Many species of plant and animal, including a number of endemic plant and invertebrate species, are wholly dependent on habitat types represented within the site of which there are few remaining examples on Cyprus.
The site qualifies under Criterion 6 by regularly supporting an internationally important wintering population of greater flamingo $Phoenicopterus ruber$. In the five-winter period 1998-2002, an average peak count of 6,000 was recorded, being approximately 2% of the eastern Mediterranean/SW& S Asian population. |
Akrotiri Ramsar site is located on Akrotiri Peninsula, the southernmost part of Cyprus. The site is located 5 km south-west of the city of Limassol (population circa 150,000). It also borders Akrotiri village (population circa 800) and RAF Station Akrotiri to the south and Asomatos village (population circa 350) to the north. |
Salt lake and small depressions holding water and plants. The main plants are $Ruppia maritima$ and $Chara$ spp. Unicellular algae are also present in the salt lake.
Reed beds and sedges: $Phragmites australis$, $Imperata cylindrica$, $Calystegia sepium$, $Cladium mariscus$, $Saccharum ravennae$, $Juncus$ spp., $Scirpus maritimus$.
$Salicornia$ and other annuals colonizing mud and sand: $Salicornia europaea, Halopeplis amplexicaulis, Suaeda maritima, Cressa cretica, Frankenia pulverulenta, Hordeum marinum, Parapholis marginata, Sphenopus divaricatus, Spergularia marina$.
Mediterranean salt meadows ($Juncetalia maritimi$): $Juncus maritimus$, $Juncus acutus$, $Juncus articulatus$, $Juncus heldreichianus$, $Juncus hybridus$, $Juncus littoralis$, $Juncus rigidus$, $Juncus subulatus$, $Aeluropus lagopoides$, $Agropyron elongatum$, $Bolboschoenus maritimus$, $Carex distans$, $Carex divisa$, $Carex extensa$, $Centaurium pulchellum, Centaurium tenuiflorum, Crypsis factorovskyi, Hordeum marinum, Imperata cylindrica, Limonium mucronulatum, Linum maritimum, Parapholis marginata, Plantago maritima$ subsp. $crassifolia, Saccharum ravennae, Schoenoplectus littoralis, Schoenus nigricans, Scirpoides holoschoenus, Triglochin bulbosa$.
Mediterranean and thermo-Atlantic halophilous scrubs ($Sarcoconetea fruticosi$): $Arthrocnemum macrostachyum$, $Salicornia fruticosa$, $Sarcocornia perennis$, $Atriplex portulacoides$, $Halocnemum strobilaceum$, $Inula crithmoides$, $Spergularia marina$, $Suaeda vera$, $Limonium mucronulatum$.
Dune sclerophyllous scrubs ($Cisto-Lavenduletalia$): $Thymus capitatus, Teucrium micropodioides, Helianthemum stipulatum, Cistus$ spp., $Echium angustifolium, Fumana thymifolia, Pistacia lentiscus, Asparagus stipularis, Rhamnus oleoides$ ssp. $graecus, Thymelaea hirsuta, Lycium sweinfurthii, Noaea mucronata, Phagnalon rupestre, Echium angustifolium$.
Hard oligo-mesotrophic waters with benthic vegetation of $Chara$ spp.: $Chara$ spp.
Arborescent matorral with $Juniperus$ spp.: $Juniperus phoenicea, Ceratonia siliqua, Cistus spp., Myrtus communis, Olea europaea, Pistasia lentiscus, Prasium majus, Rhamnus oleoides$ subsp. $graecus, Thymus capitatus, Thymelaea hirsuta$.
$Sarcopoterium spinosum$ phryganas: $Sarcopoterium spinosum, Thymus capitatus, Cistus$ spp., $Convolvulus oleifolius, Fumana$ spp., $Helianthemum obtusifolium$, $Helianthemum$ spp., $Helichrysum conglobatum, Lithodora hispidula$ ssp. $versicolor, Micromenia$ spp., $Noaea mucronata, Onosma fruticosa, Phagnalon rupestre, Teucrium$ spp.
Mediterranean tall humid grasslands of the $Molinio-Holoschoenion$: $Panicum repens, Baldellia ranunculoides, Teucrium scordium$ ssp. $scorpioides, Centaurea calcitrapa$ ssp. $angusticeps$, Cyperaceae spp., $Juncus$ spp., $Lotus corniculatus, Lythrum junceum, Mentha aquatica, Ononis spinosa, Pulicaria dysenterica$ ssp. $uliginosa, Ranunculus peltatus, Sacharum ravennae, Schoenus nigricans, Scirpoides holoschoenus, Euphorbia pubescens$.
Southern riparian galleries and thickets ($Nerio-Tamaricetea$ and $Securinegion tinctoriae$): $Tamarix tetragyna$, $Asparagus stipularis$.
$Olea$ and $Ceratonia$ forests: $Pistacia lentiscus, Rhamnus oleoides$ ssp. $graecus, Olea europaea$ ssp. $sylvestris, Ceratonia siliqua, Calycotome villosa, Genista fasselata, Myrtus communis, Pistacia terebinthus, Prasium majus$. |
