Langøya (3185)
Norway, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2014
National site name: Langøya
Central coordinates: Latitude: 68.7500, Longitude: 15.4167
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 20
Area of KBA (km2): 31.49297
Protected area coverage (%): 2.73
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A 500 m wide strip of coastal meadows, pastures and tidal mudflats in the east-south-eastern part of the island of Langøya, from Skagen airport (at Stokmarknes) past Sortland to Vikbotn, and then from Vikbotn in a westerly direction to Frøskeland. Grassland is mainly sheep-grazed.
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 site is most important for staging geese from Svalbard, especially Anser brachyrhynchus but also Branta leucopsis (quite common).
Delineation rationale: Boundary created in Google Earth, with the intention to cover agricultural land used by resting geese.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Intertidal | 50 | |
| Grassland | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Grazing geese seem to cause major damage to the crops of local farmers, which may be leading to disturbance of the birds or illegal shooting (`Other' threat).