Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A diverse site situated in the south-west corner of the Hanko peninsula, comprising cliff-lined shores, sand-dunes, wet meadows and an archipelago of mostly small rocky islands. The IBA falls within Salpausselkä, a glacial ridge formation of southern Finland extending several hundred kilometres in length.
One of the most important staging areas for waterbirds in the country, with total numbers exceeding 20,000 individuals. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Polysticta stelleri (27 birds on passage, irregular and for short periods, 5 individuals in winter),
Haliaeetus albicilla (4 individuals in winter, 5 on passage),
Gallinago media (2 individuals, passage).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
An expanding harbour, adjacent to the IBA, is a source of constant disturbance. Pressure from recreation, such as hiking along the shores and boating in the archipelago, also cause disturbance. On the southernmost tip of the Hanko peninsula a bird observatory has been maintained for twenty years, conducting bird ringing and migration observations. Part of the area is a candidate SAC.
National Partial
International Partial2,338 ha of IBA covered by Protected Area on Private Land (Tulliniemi, 2,347 ha). 29 ha of IBA covered by Specific Protection Area (Uddskatan, 29 ha). 5,294 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Tulliniemen linnustonsuojelualue).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Hanko western archipelago (Finland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/hanko-western-archipelago-iba-finland on 25/12/2024.
