Data Zone
Country/territory: Netherlands
IBA criteria met: A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, C3, C4, C6 (2000)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 311 ha
Site description (2000 baseline)
A small, uninhabited barrier island in the Wadden Sea (entirely enclosed by site 001), between Rottumeroog and the Eems/Dollard estuary. The site includes the Zuiderduintjes, a isolated dune area, 2 km south of the main island. The island, which was located at the present position of Rottumerplaat 350 years ago, is being reduced by erosion. Habitats include sandflats and mudflats, shifting and fixed sand-dunes, saltmarshes, and cord-grass Spartina swards. The island is closed to the public; hunting taking place to reduce rabbit numbers. The site (all the mudflats south of the island) has been entirely closed to cockle Cardium and mussel Mytilus fishing since 1993. This site, together with site 011, formed part of a single, larger site (former site NL009) in the previous international IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989).
Key biodiversity
An important high-tide roost for waterbirds that feed in the Wadden Sea.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Rottumeroog (Netherlands). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/rottumeroog-iba-netherlands on 25/11/2024.