Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A complex of shallow, nutrient-rich wetlands south of the town of Outokumpu, surrounded mainly by farmland, but also by young deciduous forests which regularly flood. Areas of formerly quite extensive open, muddy marshes are now overgrown by sedge, grasses and
Salix bushes. In shallow water, large beds of reed
Phragmites are abundant.
Nationally important for breeding
Botaurus stellaris (7-9 males),
Circus aeruginosus (5-6 pairs). In 1984, the first evidence of breeding
Tringa stagnatilis in
western Europe was found in the area; it has since bred twice.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Overgrowth of the wetland is a threat. The area suffers from intense hunting pressure in autumn, and fishing also causes disturbance in some parts, especially to
Cygnus cygnus and
Anser fabalis. Excessive nutrient pollution is a serious threat to the whole site; sewage is no longer discharged there, but the inflow of nutrients from surrounding farmland, especially during spring floods, is heavy. Oxygen-generating equipment was installed in Sysmäjärvi lake some years ago to help address this problem. There are several birdwatching towers in the area.
National None
International Partial767 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Sysmäjärvi).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Outokumpu wetlands (Finland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/outokumpu-wetlands-iba-finland on 22/12/2024.
