Hopen island (3198)
Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway), Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2014
National site name: Hopen
Central coordinates: Latitude: 76.5500, Longitude: 25.1667
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 370
Area of KBA (km2): 3182.01089
Protected area coverage (%): 99.96
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: An elongated island in the Barents Sea. There is a radio station, located on the east coast.
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 island is important for its large colonies of breeding seabirds.
Delineation rationale: Adopted from an official polygon for a protected area (Hopen Nature Reserve).
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research | not utilised
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 50 | |
| Marine Neritic | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: No threats are known. The radio station causes no disturbance to birds. The area is a proposed Nature Reserve because of its importance for polar bear Ursus maritimus (35 winter lairs in 1996).