Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A group of adjacent shallow lakes in the central part of north Pohjanmaa district. The lakes are nutrient-rich, partly resulting from nutrient input from melting snow and rivers.
Equisetum and
Phragmites dominate the vegetation, whilst the lakes are bordered by open mires,
Betula and
Pinus sylvestris fens, and mixed forests.
An important staging area for waterbirds, especially for
Cygnus cygnus and also
Tringa glareola (2,500 birds, spring) and
Larus minutus (500-800 birds, spring).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Fishing causes some disturbance in spring, and hunting is heavy in autumn when as many as 500-700 hunters gather each day in the area. Overgrowth of the wetland is a threat. Part of the area is a candidate SAC.
National None
International Partial1,574 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Haapaveden lintuvedet ja suot).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Haapavesi wetlands (Finland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/haapavesi-wetlands-iba-finland on 22/12/2024.
