Ho Bugt meadows (2969)
Denmark, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2000
National site name: Ho Bugt Enge og Varde Ådal
Central coordinates: Latitude: 55.6000, Longitude: 8.3167
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 5
Area of KBA (km2): 27.23661
Protected area coverage (%): 99.91
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Saltmarshes around Ho Bugt and freshwater-meadows along the River Varde å (the largest river system in western Jutland which has not been canalized). The meadows are intensively farmed with high fertilizer input and frequent harvesting.
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: More than 20,000 non-breeding waterbirds occur at the site, including Anas penelope, A. acuta and Calidris alpina. Numbers of breeding meadow birds have decreased as a result of the intensification of farming practices. Circus aeruginosus, C. cyaneus, C. pygargus, Recurvirostra avosetta and Luscinia svecica, listed on Annex I of the EC Birds Directive, breed at the site.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (100%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 20 | |
| Grassland | 50 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 30 |