Hardangervidda (3170)
Norway, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2014
National site name: Hardangervidda
Central coordinates: Latitude: 60.2000, Longitude: 7.6167
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1000 to 1500
Area of KBA (km2): 3912.37806
Protected area coverage (%): 96.27
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The largest boreal montane plateau in Europe, dominated by undulating terrain with several large lakes. This is a major sheep-grazing area, and there is also tourism and hunting (of reindeer Rangifer tarandus and grouse Lagopus).
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: Other breeding species include Gavia arctica, Aquila chrysaetos, Calidris temminckii, Stercorarius longicaudus (the southernmost regular breeding area in Europe), Lagopus lagopus, Lagopus mutus, Plectrophenax nivalis and Calcarius lapponicus. Hardangervidda was also, until recently, a traditional breeding area for Nyctea scandiaca, with up to at least 12-13 pairs in years of high rodent abundance. The last confirmed breeding record was in 1974, and the species appears to have stopped breeding in this area, for unknown reasons (although any records since 1974 may have been kept secret). One hypothesis is that increased tourism and disturbance may have driven the species away, another is that changes in rodent abundance (especially lemmings Lemmus) may have altered the food conditions for the owls in an unfavorable way.
Delineation rationale: Mainly adopted from official polygons for Protected Areas.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | hunting | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 25 | |
| Shrubland | 25 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 25 | |
| Grassland | 25 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Grazing sheep may have affected the vegetation, and thus altered the habitat requirements of many animals in this very fragile ecosystem. Increasing tourism is a potential problem. Studies in boreal montane ecology (including birds) have been carried out by several research institutions, especially the Universities of Bergen and Oslo and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.