Data Zone
Country/territory: Estonia
IBA criteria met: A4i, B1i, C2, C3, C6 (2003)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 4,797 hectares (47.97 km2)
Site description (2000 baseline)
A shallow (<8 m) bay with small islets, vast coastal meadows and saltmarshes on the south-western coast of Saaremaa island. The main economic activities are fishing, and grazing of sheep and cattle.
Key biodiversity
Lõu bay is an important staging area for geese and a notable breeding area for several waterbirds.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lõu bay (Estonia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lõu-bay-iba-estonia on 26/12/2024.