Mouth of the Emajõgi river and Piirissaar island (259)
Estonia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2003
National site name: Emajõe suudmeala ja Piirissaar
Central coordinates: Latitude: 58.3833, Longitude: 27.3167
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 331.34591
Protected area coverage (%): 99.75
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A large wetland complex in eastern Estonia, comprising lakes, rivers, fens, transition mires, bogs, forest and flood-plain meadows. Major land-uses are fishing and forestry.
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: The area supports a good diversity of breeding waterbirds, including several species of global conservation concern, and is an important staging area for migratory wildfowl. Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Crex crex (min. 10 pairs), Gallinago media (10 pairs). Significant proportion (³1%) of national population breeding at site: Porzana porzana (min. 75 pairs), Grus grus (min. 10 pairs).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (1%) | fisheries/aquaculture (30%) | forestry (5%) | hunting | nature conservation and research (97%) | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 72 | |
| Forest | 16 | |
| Shrubland | 11 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threats come from fishing and unsustainable hunting, and the overgrowth of coastal meadows with reed Phragmites as a result of undergrazing and reduced mowing intensity. Research involves monitoring of migrating waterbirds.