Babite lake (305)
Latvia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Babites ezers
Central coordinates: Latitude: 56.9167, Longitude: 23.7333
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 2
Area of KBA (km2): 30.55051
Protected area coverage (%): 97.41
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Eutrophic coastal freshwater lake, rich in emergent vegetation. The site is tightly encircled by polder dykes and surrounded mostly by farmland. A small area of wet natural meadows remains in the SW part. The site was included in the first European IBA inventory [3] and all subsequent site lists [4, 5, 1]. High protection level: there is a 97.9% overlap with Babite lake restricted nature reserve, a candidate SPA.
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.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture (80%) | hunting (60%) | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 13 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 1 | |
| Forest | 1 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 85 |