Haringvliet (1202)
Netherlands, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Haringvliet
Central coordinates: Latitude: 51.7667, Longitude: 4.2500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): -22 to -1
Area of KBA (km2): 109.88997
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Together with the adjoining Hollands Diep (025), this is one of the former estuaries of the Rhine/Maas river system, closed from the sea in 1970. Essentially a 27-km long stagnant freshwater lake, bordered by reedbeds, willow Salix scrub and wet meadows. The water-level varies, depending on the river supply. The site is separated at the west end from the Hollands Diep by a bridge and from Lake Volkerak (026) by a dam. This site, together with site 025, formed part of a single, larger site (former site NL047) in the previous pan-European IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989).
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 open water and sandbanks are used as a roost by large numbers of geese Anser from the surrounding arable and grassland polders (no counts are available). The grassland bordering the Haringvliet is important as a feeding site for Branta leucopsis and as a breeding area for waders and marsh species. The area holds two breeding colonies of Sterna hirundo (one also in use by Sterna albifrons). The mean total of waterbirds in January exceeds 20,000.
Delineation rationale: 9 March 2017: area edited. Now equal to the designated Special Protection Area (Birds Directive).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (5%) | fisheries/aquaculture (65%) | hunting (80%) | nature conservation and research (32%) | tourism/recreation (80%) | urban/industrial/transport (51%) | water management (100%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 87 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 13 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main problems are heavily polluted sediments and nutrient pollution (`Other' threat, above).
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Only in the future | |
| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Only in the future |