Lastovo Channel


Site description (2022 baseline):

Site location and context
The site encompasses the channel running between the islands of Lastovo and Korčula in the Central Adriatic. It borders the Lastovsko otočje IBA/SPA to the south and the coastline of the island of Korčula to the north, and partly overlaps with the Lastovski i Mljetski kanal marine SCI. The area is used by a large number of seabirds that nest off the coast of the island of Lastovo.

Key biodiversity
(The following text is adopted from the Lastovski i Mljetski kanal SCI SDF form which this area partly overlaps.) This is the one of the most important areas for feeding and breeding of bottlenose dolphin in the Adriatic Sea. According to the estimations, this area covers 15-30% of the Adriatic dolphins population. Beside the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates), the following species can be found in this area: Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) and fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus).


Habitat and land use



Acknowledgements
This research received funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union. The project is co-financed by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs and the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund.



Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lastovo Channel (Croatia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lastovo-channel-iba-croatia on 22/11/2024.