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Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
Jæren is one of the main agricultural districts in Norway, lying west and south of the city of Stavanger. The area is defined as the rectangle from Lake Søylandsvatn and Lake Lonavatn in the south (c.5 km apart), stretching about 27 km northwards to Hafrsfjord. The landscape is gently undulating, and the site includes several lakes, sand-dune shores, stone/boulder beaches and some shallow sea. The lakes have a rich aquatic vegetation.
This is the core breeding area for
Crex crex in Norway, and one of the most important wintering and staging areas for inland waterbirds in Norway, with more than 10,000 occurring in winter. Notable wintering species include
Gavia stellata (25),
G. arctica (6),
G. immer (20),
G. adamsii (occasional) and
Podiceps grisegena (110).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The lakes are nutrient-rich, but this is mainly due to agricultural pollution, which has accelerated vegetational succession and which causes blooms of toxic algae. The Grudevatn and Jærstrendene protected areas form part of the existing Ramsar Site. All the other Nature Reserves have been newly designated, and all of them (except Heigremyra) have been proposed for incorporation into the existing Ramsar Site or for designation as new, individual Ramsar Sites.
National Partial
International Low13 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Alvevatn, 12 ha). 6 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Grannesbukta, 6 ha). 74 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Grudevatnet, 74 ha). 36 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Hagavågen, 36 ha). 331 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Harvalandsvatn, 331 ha). 8 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Heigremyra, 8 ha). 32 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Lonavatn, 32 ha). 900 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Orrevatn, 900 ha). 24 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Smokkevatn, 24 ha). 13 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Strandnesvågen, 13 ha). 70 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Søylandsvatn, 70 ha). 12 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Øksnevadtjern, 12 ha). 1,608 ha of IBA covered by Landscape Protection Area (Jærstrendene, 1,608 ha). 400 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Jæren, 400 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Jæren (Norway). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/jæren-iba-norway on 23/12/2024.
