Svete lower reaches (333)
Latvia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Svetes lejtece
Central coordinates: Latitude: 56.7167, Longitude: 23.6500
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 2
Area of KBA (km2): 9.33305
Protected area coverage (%): 98.27
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Flood-plain of the Svete and Lielupe rivers, with mostly arable and fallow fields, regularly flooded during spring. Small remnants of natural floodplain meadows occur along Svete. The site is surrounded by polders and farmland. Listed as an IBA since 2000 [2, 1]. Fully protected: there is a 98.6% overlap with the newly designated Svete floodplain nature park, a candidate SPA. The gap between IBA and pSPA boundaries is due to differences in methods in boundary setting.
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.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | tourism/recreation (7%) | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 1 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 11 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 23 | |
| Grassland | 65 | |
| Forest | 1 |