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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') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Goosander Mergus merganser	LC	passage	1996	1,500-2,000 individuals	B1i, C3
Common Reed-warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus	LC	breeding	1996	110-130 breeding pairs	B3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2000) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2000. The most recent assessment (2010) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Goosander Mergus merganser	1,500	400	individuals	27	very unfavourable
Common Reed-warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus	110	80	breeding pairs	73	not assessed

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Pollution	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Residential and commercial development	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Some of site covered (10-49%)	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1959	Viikin luonnonsuojelualue	State Nature Reserve	3
1962	VIIKIN VANHANKAUPUNGINLAH	Yksityinen luonnonsuojelualue	17
1974	Vanhankaupunginlahti, Laajalahti	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	40
1989	Laajalahden luonnonsuojelualue	Valtion luonnonsuojelualue	14
1996	Vanhankaupunginlahden lintuvesi	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	23
1996	Laajalahden lintuvesi	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	14
1998	Vanhankaupunginlahden lintuvesi	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	23
1998	Laajalahden lintuvesi	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	14
2001	Viikin pähkinäpensaslehto	Suojeltu luontotyyppi	<1
2001	Viikintien pähkinäpensaslehto	Suojeltu luontotyyppi	-
2005	Saunalahden luonnonsuojelualue	Yksityinen luonnonsuojelualue	4

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		60
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land, Other urban and industrial areas	30
Forest		10

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
tourism/recreation	50
agriculture	40
nature conservation and research	40

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Laajalahti bay, Vanhankaupunginlahti bay and Viikki (Finland). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/laajalahti-bay-vanhankaupunginlahti-bay-and-viikki-iba-finland on 27/11/2024.