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Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
The Nature Reserve covers the whole of the islands of Barentsøya and Edgeøya, in south-east Svalbard. The habitat is high-Arctic tundra; vegetation is sparse or non-existent over most of the land. Bird data are available for three subsites: Tusenøyane, Negerpynten and Kvalpynten (all on Edgeøya). Tusenøyane (77°05'N 22°00'E; 150,000 ha) is a group of many rocky, low-lying islets (the largest being c.200 ha) in an area of shallow sea, some distance from the south-west coast of Edgeøya. Negerpynten (77°15'N 22°40'E) and Kvalpynten (77°27'N 22°53'E) are sea cliffs at the south-western tip of Edgeøya. There is no settlement in the IBA.
About 80% of the small and vulnerable Svalbard breeding population of
Branta bernicla (
B. b. hrota) breeds at Tusenøyane, as well as four other species that are also restricted in Europe (when breeding) to the Arctic/tundra biome. In late summer and autumn Tusenøyane is also a notable moulting area for
Somateria mollissima and
Somateria spectabilis. There are large seabird colonies at Negerpynten and Kvalpynten (e.g. at least 12,000 pairs of
Uria lomvia).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The most serious threat to the birdlife on the islands is an oil spill (there are plans to open the northern Barents Sea to test-drilling for oil and gas). Increased traffic of tourist boats at Tusenøyane may also be a threat, as
Branta bernicla (especially) are very shy and suffer increased predation of eggs and young if disturbed. Tusenøyane lies within the Nature Reserve. The goose populations are monitored by the Norwegian Polar Institute.
National High
International None638,000 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Søraust-Svalbard, 638,000 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Southeast Svalbard Nature Reserve (Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway)). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/southeast-svalbard-nature-reserve-iba-svalbard-and-jan-mayen-islands-(to-norway) on 22/11/2024.
