Lepelaarplassen (1245)
Netherlands, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Lepelaarplassen
Central coordinates: Latitude: 52.4000, Longitude: 5.2000
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): -5 to -3
Area of KBA (km2): 3.56435
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: An area of shallow lakes, pools, reedbeds, and Salix woodland that has developed on a polder (Zuidelijk Flevoland, reclaimed in 1968), having been spared from cultivation. The site is located to the west of the city of Almere, and adjoins Markermeer (038) in the north. This site, together with site 066, formed part of a single, larger site (former site NL031) 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 was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Delineation rationale: 9 March 2017: area edited. Now equal to the designated Special Protection Area (Birds Directive).
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research (100%) | tourism/recreation (5%) | water management (100%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 23 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 74 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The buffer zone that separates the site from Almere is under pressure from urban development, and the effects of the natural succession of vegetation and of botulism on wild birds (`Other' threat) pose additional problems. In 1997 the site was reconnected with Oostvaardersplassen (066) by a 250-m-wide stretch of marshland.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Nutrient loads | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Excess energy | Light pollution | Only in the future |
| Pollution | Excess energy | Noise pollution | Only in the future |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing | |
| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Ongoing | |
| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Work & other activities | Ongoing | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Ongoing | |
| Transportation & service corridors | Flight paths | Only in the future |