Røst (3160)
Norway, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1d, B1, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2014
National site name: Røst
Central coordinates: Latitude: 67.5000, Longitude: 12.0000
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 259
Area of KBA (km2): 159.86238
Protected area coverage (%): 44.94
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Røst is an archipelago consisting of more than 400 islands. The most important seabird colonies are on Vedøy, Storfjellet, Ellefsnyken, Trenyken and Hernyken. These are steep, grass-covered islands (92-259 m high). The island of Røstlandet is inhabited, with numerous ponds, saltmarshes and mires.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: The islands of Røst are famous for one of Europe's largest colonies of Fratercula arctica. However, the species has declined severely in abundance during the last 30 years, due to a collapse in the food supply: in the late 1960s the population was estimated as twice as large as it is now. Other breeding seabirds include Hydrobates pelagicus and Oceanodroma leucorhoa (the largest colonies in Norway), Alca torda, Phalacrocorax aristotelis, Uria aalge (abundance has decreased by 20-30% since the early 1980s), Fulmarus glacialis and Rissa tridactyla (c.17,500 pairs in 1988; decrease in numbers by more than 30% between 1993 and 1994). Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Haliaeetus albicilla (common).
Delineation rationale: Much of the boundary is adopted from an official polygon for a Protected Area, but the boundaries around the Røstlandet area are estimated in Google Earth.
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 33 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 33 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Following the collapse of the Norwegian herring stock in the late 1960s, the breeding numbers of Fratercula arctica have decreased, due to high chick mortality. The only island which is open to the public, apart from Røstlandet, is Vedøy. Access to the bird cliffs is prohibited between 15 April and 15 August, except for daytime excursions to parts of Vedøy. Monitoring and research on the Fratercula arctica colony is carried out by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Nomadic grazing | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Intentional use: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Excess energy | Light pollution | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing |