Data Zone
Country/territory: Finland
Subnational region(s): Etelä-Suomen lääni
IBA Justification: B1i, B2, C2, C6 (2000)
Area: 760 hectares (7.60 km2)
BirdLife Partner(s): BirdLife SUOMI-FINLAND
| Conservation status of the Important Bird Area (IBA) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2010 | very unfavourable | very high | low |
Site description (2000 baseline)
Kirkkojärvi lake and Lupinlahti Bay are two wetlands adjacent to the town of Hamina. Kirkkojärvi lake, is almost totally covered by vegetation (reed Phragmites, etc.). It was previously heavily polluted by nutrients, and is still prone to silting but is managed by periodically raising the water-level. Lupinlahti Bay is a shallow, 5 km long, narrow bay of the Gulf of Finland, with reedbeds up to 200 m wide. Some parts of the shoreline are rocky, others have meadows and forests, with several houses and summer cottages.
Key biodiversity
The area is also a nationally important staging area during spring for Cygnus columbianus (100-150 birds). Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Haliaeetus albicilla (1-5 individuals, passage), Crex crex (1 pair, breeding).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kirkkojärvi lake and Lupinlahti bay (Finland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kirkkojärvi-lake-and-lupinlahti-bay-iba-finland on 29/01/2025.