New-Aquitaine: Important Bird Conservation Areas (ICAO)

Important Bird Conservation Areas in the SALW Region In the same way as the ZNIEFFs, IBAs are bird-specific scientific inventories carried out as part of France’s commitment to implement the Birds Directive of 2 April 1979. They served as the basis for the classification of SPAs (Natura 2000 site). They must be taken into account in the same way as ZNIEFFs as an element of expertise. The IBAs reveal the presence of a remarkable avifauna, some of which may be listed in Annex 1 to the Birds Directive, which implies an obligation to preserve these species and their habitats, irrespective of whether the area concerned is designated as Natura 2000 sites (SPAs) (Article 4.4 of the Birds Directive).