Vetleifsholtsbugar-Thykkvabæjarvatn (491)
Iceland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2000
National site name: Vetleifsholtsbugar-Þykkvabæjarvatn
Central coordinates: Latitude: 63.7667, Longitude: -20.5667
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 5 to 43
Area of KBA (km2): 275.83961
Protected area coverage (%): 2.06
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: An extensive marsh/mire, dominated by sedge (Carex, Eriophorum), with lakes and pools, 10 km south of the town of Hella in southern Iceland. It stretches from Thykkvabæjarvatn (with surrounding marshes) to Kringlutjörn and Frakkavatn (with surrounding marshes), and includes Andalækur and the area from Vetleifsholtbugaur to Hrútsvatn. This is the southern and western part of Safamýri, formerly one of the richest Carex-Eriophorum marshes in Iceland before its drainage and the damming of the Thverá and Ytri-Rangá rivers. Pond-weed Potamogeton is abundant in Frakkavatn.
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.
Additional biodiversity: A wide variety of wildfowl and waders breed in the area, and Anas penelope moults on Frakkavatn and Andalækur.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | hunting
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Parts of the site have been severely damaged by drainage and the area is also threatened by further drainage for agricultural purposes. Hunting causes excessive disturbance at the roost sites of Anser albifrons. Only a part of this area is in the Nature Conservation Register. The site is an enlarged and re-named version of the IBA `Safamýri', formerly site 009 in the previous international IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989).