Zemaitija National Park (242)
Lithuania, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Zemaitija (Zemaitijos nacionalinis parkas)
Central coordinates: Latitude: 56.0500, Longitude: 21.8833
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 120 to 180
Area of KBA (km2): 268.69886
Protected area coverage (%): 81.36
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The majority of the area is covered by hemi-boreal forest (mostly dominated by Picea), and there are also bogs, marshes, several lakes with islands, meadows, and agricultural land. Land-uses are many and varied, including agriculture, forestry, and recreation.
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.
Additional biodiversity: An important breeding area for Porzana porzana. Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Crex crex. This is the main breeding site for Mergus merganser (10-18 pairs) in Lithuania and is also important for breeding Ciconia ciconia (more than 70 pairs) and Tetrao tetrix.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (41%) | forestry (41%) | nature conservation and research | rangeland/pastureland (9%) | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 7 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 43 | |
| Forest | 41 | |
| Grassland | 9 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The biggest threats are posed by land privatization and forestry.