Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A wetland complex on the flood-plain of the Emajõgi river near the town of Tartu in eastern Estonia, with meadows, lakes, rivers, reedbeds, scrub and reseeded grasslands (polders). The main land-uses are haymaking, sand-mining and recreation.
The area is an important breeding site for several waterbird species of flood-plain wetlands. Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Crex crex (3-5 pairs),
Gallinago media (5-10 pairs). Significant proportion (³1%) of national population breeding at site:
Larus minutus (min. 50 pairs).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Major threats are posed by nutrient pollution (due to effluents from Tartu town and fertilizer run-off), overgrowth of meadows with scrub due to reduced haymaking, disturbance of birds by angling, recreation/tourism, fuel-oil pollution from boats, unsustainable hunting, drainage and canalization. The area is a proposed Protected Landscape. An inventory of breeding and migrating birds was completed in 1992.
National None
International None
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ropka-Ihaste (Estonia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ropka-ihaste-iba-estonia on 25/12/2024.
