EE018
Relict lakes of southern Saaremaa


IBA Justification

The site was identified as important in 2000 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species'):
Species Current IUCN Red List Category Season Year(s) Population estimate at site IBA criteria met
Greylag Goose Anser anser LC passage 1996 500 individuals B1i
Common Crane Grus grus LC passage 1996 1,000 individuals B1i
Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris LC breeding 1996 15 breeding pairs B2

The current IUCN Red List category may differ from that which was valid at the time of IBA criteria assessment (2000).


IBA Protection

Protected area (PA) PA designation PA area (ha) Relationship of PA with IBA Overlap of PA with IBA (ha)
West Estonian Archipelago UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve 1,560,000 protected area contains site 5,735
Linnulaht Lake Nature Reserve 285 protected area contained by site 285

Habitats

Habitat (IUCN level 1) Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Forest -
Wetlands (inland) Standing brackish and salt water, Water fringe vegetation -
For more information about the IUCN Habitat classification, please click here.

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture -
fisheries/aquaculture -
forestry -
hunting -
nature conservation and research -
other -


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Relict lakes of southern Saaremaa. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/relict-lakes-of-southern-saaremaa-iba-estonia on 08/12/2023.