Ketelmeer & Vossemeer (1217)
Netherlands, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1d
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Ketelmeer & Vossemeer
Central coordinates: Latitude: 52.6000, Longitude: 5.7500
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): -5 to -1
Area of KBA (km2): 38.43393
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A freshwater lake, bounded in the north by the dyke of Noordoostpolder (reclaimed in 1942), in the south by the dyke of Oostelijk Flevoland (1957), in the east by the delta of the IJssel river (047), and in the west by Lake IJsselmeer (034). Only the IJssel delta has some reedbeds along the foreshore. Sand extraction occurs, as well as extensive dredging to clean heavily polluted sediments.
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 mean total number of wintering waterbirds in January exceeds 20,000.
Delineation rationale: (1) Date unknown: this area includes Vossemeer. (2) 9 March 2017: name and area edited. Now equal to the designated Special Protection Area (Birds Directive).
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture (90%) | hunting (50%) | tourism/recreation (90%) | urban/industrial/transport (20%) | water management (100%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main problems are water management (the water-level of the IJsselmeer is deliberately kept high during summer), nutrient pollution (from the River Rhine/IJssel and by trace pollutants such as cadmium, mercury and DDT), over-fishing, wildfowl hunting (mainly on the east side), recreation (leisure boating), and reed-harvesting along the eastern foreshore (`Other' threat, above). An island is under construction (as of 1998) for the storage of polluted sediments, but this will be beneficial to birds in the long-term.