Kõrgessaare-Mudaste coast (273)
Estonia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2003
National site name: Kõrgessaare-Mudaste rannik
Central coordinates: Latitude: 59.0000, Longitude: 22.4833
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 49.86139
Protected area coverage (%): 96.53
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A complex of shallow (<4 m) bays with small islets and shallow (<1 m) coastal, relict lakes in the north-western part of Hiiumaa island. There are reedbeds and vast coastal meadows. The main economic activities are intensive fishing, and grazing.
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 coastal meadows and lakes comprise an important staging site for migrating Branta leucopsis, and support a good diversity of breeding waterbirds.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (4%) | fisheries/aquaculture (65%) | forestry (15%) | hunting | nature conservation and research (97%) | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 1 | |
| Forest | 14 | |
| Shrubland | 5 | |
| Grassland | 3 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 11 | |
| Marine Neritic | 66 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threats are posed by human disturbance of birds, tourism, unsustainable hunting, fishing, overgrowth of coastal meadows with reed Phragmites due to undergrazing, and water pollution by fishery discards and by fuel-oil from boats. About 50% of the IBA is a planned core area of the West Estonian Archipelago Biosphere Reserve, and the IBA is also a potential Ramsar Site. Research involves monitoring of migrating waterbirds.