Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A very large complex of lakes on the border of North Carelia and North Savo districts. The site includes extensive areas of open water, small islands with primary forests, undisturbed bays, and cliffs. The lakes are poor in nutrients (oligotrophic), clear-watered with sparse vegetation, and are mostly bordered by forest. Human activities are common all over the lakes, since outside the site boundaries are large areas of summer-only and all-year-round habitation.
The site holds the most significant
Gavia arctica population in Finland. It is also a nationally important breeding area for
Falco subbuteo (15-25 pairs) and
Larus fuscus fuscus (55-80 pairs).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Threats include the construction of summer cottages and recreational boating. Part of the area is a candidate SAC.
National None
International Partial3,060 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Juojärven saaristo).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Outokumpu and Kaavi oligotrophic lakes (Finland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/outokumpu-and-kaavi-oligotrophic-lakes-iba-finland on 25/12/2024.
