Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
This area contains three nutrient-rich lakes: Fläcksjön, Gussjön and Gorgen, all connected by the River Svartån and surrounded by low-lying water-meadows prone to spring flooding. Associated vegetation includes areas of
Phragmites,
Scirpus and wet
Betula forest. The land is used for cattle-grazing and is one of the largest areas remaining in Sweden where mowing still takes place.
The lake margins and adjacent meadows also provide breeding habitat for a number of wetland species. Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Crex crex.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Succession takes place if land is abandoned or left unmanaged. Large areas are now managed through governmental conservation action and funding, with the aim of maintaining and improving conditions for breeding and passage birds. Counts are undertaken regularly. Plans exist to designate five `consultation areas' (totalling 1,535 ha) as Nature Reserves.
National Low
International Partial78 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Flackebo, 78 ha). 1,870 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Svartån, 1,990 ha). IBA overlaps with four Special Protection Areas (totalling 1,321 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: River Svartån (Sweden). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/river-svartån-iba-sweden on 23/12/2024.
