Onega Bay of the White Sea (1523)
Russia (Central Asian), Central Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Onezhskaya Guba Belogo Morya
Central coordinates: Latitude: 64.4145, Longitude: 36.0708
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 150
Area of KBA (km2): 5230.43112
Protected area coverage (%): 1.72
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A number of islands along the western shore of Onega Bay in the White sea.
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 area is a very important staging place for migrating C. cygnus, C. columbianus, B. bernicla, B. leucopsis and other geese and ducks, but no detailed information is available at the moment. It is certain this site meets criteria A4iii.
Delineation rationale: 2009-08-06: IBA area changed from 200,000 ha to 523,070 ha (by BL Secretariat, following RBCU spreadsheet of changes that need making). 2014-08-12 (BL Secretariat): centroid coords adjusted to 64°24'52'N 36°4'15'E and site area changed to (or confirmed as) 523070 ha (rounded), on basis of refined polygon downloaded from Spatial Database on Important Bird Areas of Russia 2014 (© Russian Bird Conservation Union, © Transparent World).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Offshore islands and shallow sea with a wide foreshore and wet coastal meadows. 'Other' land-use = seaweed collection.
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture (10%) | not utilised (90%) | tourism/recreation (10%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 50 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 25 | |
| Grassland | 5 | |
| Forest | 20 |
Additional information
References: A.E.Cherenkov, V.Yu.Semashko, G.M.Tertitskiy, V.V.Bianki, T.Yu.Khokhlova.
Contributors: The map polygon is provided courtesy of the Spatial Database on Important Bird Areas of Russia 2014 (© Russian Bird Conservation Union, © Transparent World).