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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2000 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Bean Goose Anser fabalis	LC	winter (1989)	3,000 birds	B1i, C3
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus	LC	winter (-)	20,000–36,000 birds	A4i, B1i, C3
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons	LC	winter (-)	15,000–30,000 birds	A4i, B1i, C3
Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata	LC	winter (-)	300–500 birds	B1i, C3
Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope	LC	winter (-)	10,000–40,000 birds	A4i, B1i, C3
Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris	LC	passage (-)	15 birds	C2
Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria	LC	passage (-)	10,000–15,000 birds	B1i, C2
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa	NT	breeding (1995)	100–120 pairs	B2
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	LC	breeding (1996)	10 pairs	C6
Bluethroat Luscinia svecica	LC	breeding (1993)	60–80 pairs	C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter (-)	50,000-99,999 birds	A4iii, C4

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
-	Uitkerkse Polder	Nature Reserve (-)	1
1982	De Fonteintjes	Erkend natuurreservaat (IV)	<1
1988	Poldercomplex	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive) (IV)	100
1988	Stadswallen van Damme	Erkend natuurreservaat (IV)	1
1997	Uitkerkse Polder	Erkend natuurreservaat (IV)	4
2000	Lage Moere van Meetkerke	Vlaams natuurreservaat (IV)	<1
2002	Polders	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive) (IV)	8
2002	Sint-Donaaspolder	Erkend natuurreservaat (IV)	<1

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Grassland	60
Artificial/Terrestrial	40	Arable land; Perennial crops, orchards and groves

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	90
tourism/recreation	5
nature conservation and research	5

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Polderkomplex (Belgium). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/polderkomplex-iba-belgium on 23/12/2024.