Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
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.
Lõu bay is an important staging area for geese and a notable breeding area for several waterbirds.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Major threats are posed by unsustainable hunting, tourism and intensive fishing. The IBA contains a planned core area of the West Estonian Archipelago Biosphere Reserve, and is also a potential Ramsar Site. Research involves monitoring of migrating and wintering waterbirds.
National None
International High4,815 ha of IBA covered by Biosphere Reserve (West Estonian Archipelago, 1,560,000 ha).
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 23/11/2024.
