Vega archipelago (3163)
Norway, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2014
National site name: Vegaøyan
Central coordinates: Latitude: 65.8167, Longitude: 11.7500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 800
Area of KBA (km2): 305.09277
Protected area coverage (%): 72.38
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Vega is an archipelago of several thousand small islands and islets. Some of the largest islands are partly cultivated and inhabited. The landscape is a mosaic of peatbogs and rocky areas, with scattered brackish tarns between Viksås and Holand, and near Valen, as well as some freshwater ponds. Intertidal areas are extensive, with seaweed beds, nutrient-rich mud, and rock, sand and gravel; the most important mudflats for birds are on the northern side of the main island.
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: Haliaeetus albicilla is common all year-round. Anser brachyrhynchus is numerous on passage in spring. A wide variety of waders often breed, and large numbers stage on the island shores in early autumn. Seaduck are the most common wintering waterbirds in the shallow areas west and north of the main island, and include Somateria spectabilis (c.500).
Delineation rationale: Much of the boundary has been adopted from an official polygon for a Protected Area. The remaining part is drafted in Google Earth.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 20 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 20 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 20 | |
| Marine Neritic | 20 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 20 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The absence since 1980 of sheep-grazing and traditional land management on the outer islands, the preferred staging areas for Branta leucopsis, has reduced the availability of suitable plant food for the geese and has forced them to stage on the inner, inhabited islands. Here, through their grazing on crops, the geese are in conflict with farmers. Experiments to scare the geese from some agricultural areas have been carried out. The former staging areas are no longer suitable for Branta leucopsis due to domination of the sward by perennial herbs (Filipendula) and due to a large increase in the abundance of voles Microtus. Oil production in the Norwegian Sea outside Nordland County represents a potential threat to the many seabirds wintering in the waters around Vega. Part of the area is a proposed National Park.