Siiksaare-Oessaare bays (283)
Estonia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2003
National site name: Siiksaare-Oessaare lahed
Central coordinates: Latitude: 58.3000, Longitude: 22.8833
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 39.22626
Protected area coverage (%): 99.28
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A complex of shallow (<2 m) bays and relict lakes on the southern coast of Saaremaa island, with small islets, vast reedbeds, coastal meadows and saltmarshes. The main economic activities are fishing, sheep-grazing and forestry.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: A diverse selection of migratory waterbirds use the site for staging and/or breeding, with important numbers of several species. Significant proportion (³1%) of national population breeding at site: Grus grus (10 pairs), Larus canus (min. 400 pairs), Larus marinus (20 pairs).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (5%) | fisheries/aquaculture (20%) | forestry | hunting | nature conservation and research (99%) | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 17 | |
| Grassland | 4 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 9 | |
| Forest | 14 | |
| Shrubland | 13 | |
| Marine Neritic | 41 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 2 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threats are unsustainable hunting, intensive fishing, overgrowth of coastal meadows with reed Phragmites due to undergrazing, and tourism. The IBA is a planned core area of the West Estonian Archipelago Biosphere Reserve, and is also a potential Ramsar Site. Research involves monitoring of migrating waterbirds.