New Marine IBAs For the Mediterranean Shag Phalacrocorax Aristotelis Desmarestii in Slovenia

Abstract

Abstract The IBA network is being regularly updated, based on new data and their better quality. There have been three previous stages of the marine IBA identification in Slovenia and the Mediterranean Shag has been included as the qualifying species only in the most recent stage in 2011. However, the sites were limited to inshore coastal roost-sites and thus insufficient to cover the foraging areas of the species. To fill this gap in the Slovenian territorial sea, new marine IBAs have been identified for the Mediterranean Shag within the scope of the SIMARINE-NATURA (LIFE10NAT/SI/141) project in the 2011–2015 period. The new sites were identified following standardized methodology for the identification of marine IBAs from BirdLife International. The data on the Mediterranean Shag distribution and population size were collected using four field methods: (1) monthly monitoring at in-shore communal roost-sites, (2) monthly monitoring at sea following the standardized ESAS method, (3) GPS telemetry, and (4) unsystematic census of in-shore floating groups. Based on these data, one new site, the IBA Osrednji Tržaški zaliv, and one extension to the existing IBA Debeli rtič were identified, covering 8,218 ha and 155 ha, respectively. The new sites cover 39.2% of the Slovenian territorial sea.