İğneada Forests (779)
Turkey, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: İğneada Ormanları
Central coordinates: Latitude: 41.8333, Longitude: 27.9667
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 180
Area of KBA (km2): 82.31554
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A complex of seasonally-flooded forests, swamps, freshwater lakes and sand-dunes on the Black Sea coast near the Turkish-Bulgarian border. Surface water accumulation behind the dunes feeds the largely intact flooded forests, which are below sea-level. The c.10 km long pristine dune and beach system is of high botanical importance. Human activities include cattle- and sheep-grazing, small-scale freshwater fisheries and reed-cutting (`Other' land-use).
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: The site is also a migratory bottleneck, where more than 8,000 Ciconia ciconia regularly pass in autumn. Although no comprehensive counts have been undertaken, available data suggest that the IBA is also a bottleneck for migrating raptors.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (5%) | forestry (90%) | hunting (5%) | nature conservation and research (50%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 32 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 32 | |
| Marine Neritic | 32 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: ÝSKÝ plans to divert water from the nearby Istranca mountains by damming the five major streams feeding the flooded forests. Additional threats include the proposed Bulgaria-Turkey coastal highway, tourism development, deforestation to allow replanting with Populus, illegal sand extraction and reed-cutting regimes that reduce nesting site availability (`Other' threat).
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Abstraction of surface water (domestic use) | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Only in the future | |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing |