Lower Posavina (3595)
Croatia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2010
National site name: Donja Posavina
Central coordinates: Latitude: 45.3600, Longitude: 16.7850
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 88 to 237
Area of KBA (km2): 1210.75085
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This lowland area (the largest retention in Croatia) comprises extensive wet pastures, alluvial oak forests, riverine forests and scrubs, numerous temporary and permanent water bodies: fishponds, ponds, oxbows, pits, rivers (Sava, Lonja and other smaller rivers), canals (Strug, Trebez), etc. The most important parts of the area are Nature Park Lonjsko polje and fishponds. It is the most important area for breeding of Night Heron, Black and White Stork and Corncrakes in Croatia. Forests in this area are important breeding sites for White-tailed Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Middle Spotted Woodpecker and Collared Flycatcher in Croatia. The main threats to birds originate from drainage, river canalization, agricultural intensification, changes in traditional farming, changes of water level in wet forests due to drainage, possible loss of carp fishponds due to abandonment of fish production, intensified forest management, excessive or illegal hunting and unregulated recreational activities and tourism.
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)
Delineation rationale: Area changed from 210000 ha to 129256 ha (Radovic, Kralj, Tutis, Radovic & Topic, 2005). Area changed from 129256 ha to 121178 ha, as part of 2010 revision of IBAs/proposed SPAs.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | forestry
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 9 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 18 | |
| Forest | 36 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 36 |