Important Bird Areas in Europe – Norway ■ NORWAY TERJE LISLEVAND, ASBJØRN FOLVIK AND INGAR JOSTEIN ØIEN Øvre Pasvik Nature Reserve (IBA 001), the largest virgin forest in Norway. (PHOTO: INGAR JOSTEIN ØIEN) GENERAL INTRODUCTION 9,307 km2, equivalent to c.3% of the national land surface. This total does not include one offshore marine IBA in the Skagerrak Norway is situated in the north-western corner of Europe, between which is shared with Denmark, 61% of its area lying within the latitudes of 58°N and 71°N. It borders the North-east Atlantic Norwegian territory. This marine IBA does not feature further in Ocean, from the Skagerrak channel in the south to the Arctic Ocean this chapter; see Box 4 in the introductory chapter ‘Overview of in the north. The coastline, at 21,465 km, is very long, with many results’ for further discussion of marine IBAs identified in Europe, fjords and a vast number of islands, islets and skerries. Norway is and for further explanation of their treatment in this book. The very mountainous, covering an area of 323,759 km2, and is divided Arctic territories of Svalbard, Jan Mayen and Bjørnøya (Bear into 18 counties. In 1998, the human population numbered about Island) are also parts of Norwegian territory, but are covered by a 4,400,000 inhabitants, giving a density of about 13 persons/km2, the separate chapter within this inventory (see p. 533). lowest in continental Europe. The first pan-European IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones A total of 52 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are identified in 1989) identified 49 IBAs in mainland Norway, of which 11 no longer mainland Norway in this inventory (Table 1, Map 1), covering meet the current (revised) IBA criteria (they are listed in Table 1). Table 1. Summary of Important Bird Areas in Norway. 52 IBAs covering 9,307 km2 IBA 1989 code code International name National name Administrative region Area (ha) Criteria (see p. 11) 001 NO001 Øvre Pasvik Øvre Pasvik Finnmark 20,000 A3, B2 002 NO002 Neiden and Munkefjord Neiden and Munkefjord Finnmark 1,180 B1i 003 NO003 Varangerfjord Varangerfjord Finnmark 60,000 A1, A3, A4i, A4iii, B1i 004 NO004 Hornøy and Reinøy Hornøy and Reinøy Finnmark 200 A4i, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B3 005 NO005 Makkaurhalvøya (Syltefjordstauran) Makkaurhalvøya (Syltefjordstauran) Finnmark 11,600 A4i, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B2 006 NO006 Kongsøy Kongsøy Finnmark 280 A4iii, B1i, B3 007 NO007 Tanamunningen Tanamunningen Finnmark 3,450 A4i, A4iii, B1i 008 NO008 Omgangsstauran Omgangsstauran Finnmark 780 A4i, A4iii, B1i 009 NO009 Sværholtklubben Sværholtklubben Finnmark 220 A4i, A4iii, B1i 010 NO011 Gjesværstappan Gjesværstappan Finnmark 720 A4ii, A4iii, B1ii, B2, B3 011 NO012 Hjelmsøy Hjelmsøy Finnmark 430 A4i, A4ii, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3 012 NO010 Inner part of Porsanger Fjord Indre Porsangerfjord Finnmark 2,000 A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B3 013 NO013 Alta-Kautokeino watercourse Alta-Kautokeino watercourse Finnmark 30,000 B2 014 NO014 Loppa Loppa Finnmark 720 A4iii, B1ii, B2, B3 015 NO015 Nord-Fugløy Nord-Fugløy Troms 2,130 A4ii, A4iii, B1ii, B2 016 NO016 Sør-Fugløy Sør-Fugløy Troms 125 A1, A4ii, A4iii, B1ii, B2, B3 017 NO017 Sørkjosen Sørkjosen Troms 433 A4i, A4iii, B1i 509 Important Bird Areas in Europe – Norway Table 1 ... continued. Summary of Important Bird Areas in Norway. 52 IBAs covering 9,307 km2 IBA 1989 code code International name National name Administrative region Area (ha) Criteria (see p. 11) 018 NO018 Bleiksøy Bleiksøy Nordland 20 A4ii, A4iii, B1ii, B2 019 NO019 Skogvoll (including Skarvklakken) Skogvoll (including Skarvklakken) Nordland 2,800 A1, B1i, B2 020 — Andøya Andøya Nordland 17,000 A4i, B1i 021 NO020 Anda Anda Nordland 10 A4iii, B2 022 — Langøya Langøya Nordland 20,000 A4i, B1i 023 NO021 Nykvåg Nykvåg Nordland 20 A4ii, A4iii, B1ii, B2 024 NO024 Værøy Værøy Nordland 500 A4ii, A4iii, B1ii, B2 025 NO025 Røst Røst Nordland 1,750 A4i, A4ii, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3 026 NO026 Saltstraumen Saltstraumen Nordland 200 A1 027 — Fugløya Fugløya Nordland — A4iii 028 NO028 Svenningen–Risvær Svenningen–Risvær Nordland 15,000 A1 029 NO027 Lovunden Lovunden Nordland — A1, A4iii, B1ii, B2 030 NO029 Vega archipelago Vega archipelago Nordland 50,000 A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3 031 — Sklinna Sklinna Nord-Trøndelag 106 A4i, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3 032 NO034 Froan Froan Sør-Trøndelag 60,000 A1, A4i, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3 033 NO033 Ørland wetland system Ørland Våtmarkssystem Sør-Trøndelag 2,920 A4i, B1i, B2 034 NO030 Inner Trondheimsfjord wetland system Indre Trondheimsfjord Våtmarkssystem Nord-Trøndelag 9,500 A4i, A4iii, B1i 035 — Lake Leksdalsvatn Leksdalsvatn Nord-Trøndelag 2,200 A4i, B1i 036 — Stjørdals Fjord Stjørdalsfjorden Nord-Trøndelag, Sør-Trøndelag 2,500 A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2 037 NO035 Gaulosen Gaulosen Sør-Trøndelag 330 A4i, B1i 038 NO036 Havmyran Havmyran Sør-Trøndelag 3,960 A1 039 NO037 Smøla archipelago Smøla archipelago Møre og Romsdal 27,400 A1, A4i, B1i, B1ii, B2 040 NO039 Runde Runde Møre og Romsdal 640 A4i, A4ii, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3 041 NO040 Dovrefjell Dovrefjell Oppland, Sør-Trøndelag 50,000 A1, B2 042 NO041 Hardangervidda Hardangervidda Buskerud, Hordaland, Telemark 427,200 A1, A4i, B1i, B2, B3 043 — Kjørholmane seabird reserve Kjørholmane sjøfuglreservat Rogaland 600 A4i, B1i, B3 044 NO042 Jæren wetland system Jæren wetland system Rogaland 13,500 A1, B1i 045 — Lista wetland system Lista våtmarkssystem Vest-Agder 1,189 A4i, B1i, B2, B3 046 — Skjernøy, South Skerries Skjernøy, sør skjærgården Vest-Agder 100 A4i, B1i, B3 047 — Setesdal valley (southern part) Nedre Setesdal Aust-Agder 30,000 B2 048 — Lake Vannsjø Vannsjø Østfold 15,000 B2 049 — Aukerfjella Aukerfjella Østfold 30,000 B2 050 NO046 Nordre Øyeren and Sørumsneset Nordre Øyeren og Sørumsneset Akershus 7,504 A1, A4i, B1i, B2 051 — Vorma–Andelva Vorma–Andelva Akershus 40 A4i, B1i 052 — Lake Storsjøen Storsjøen i Odalen Hedmark 4,400 A4i, B1i Sites identified in the previous inventory of IBAs in Europe (Grimmett and Jones 1989) but no longer considered to be IBAs NO022 Grunnfjorden; NO023 Hovsflesa; NO031 Forramyrene; NO032 Tautra and Svaet; NO038 Sandblåstvågen/Gaustadvågen; NO043 Ilene and Presterødkilen wetland system; NO044 Kurefjorden; NO045 Øra; NO047 Dokkadeltaet; NO048 Akersvika; NO049 Lågendeltaet. Two of the original sites (former sites NO010 and NO030) have 41 sites support 1% or more of the global, flyway or biogeographic been merged with new IBAs, of which 16 have been identified populations of 28 congregatory species, thus qualifying under (Table 1). Overall, the IBAs are situated mainly along the coast, criteria A4/B1 (Table 3), and two areas meet criterion A3 as biome- especially in the northern part of the country (Map 1). In the restricted assemblages of species (Table 1). southern part, two relatively large mountain areas (sites 041 A total of 108 species of European conservation concern and 042) have been identified, together with a few less extensive (SPECs) breed regularly in Norway (Tucker and Heath 1994). Of wetland sites and three larger wetland systems. these, four are of global conservation concern (Anser erythropus, Haliaeetus albicilla, Crex crex and Gallinago media) and 56 more have an unfavourable conservation status in Europe (Tucker and ORNITHOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE Heath 1994). The SPECs with a significant breeding population in Norway (on a European scale) are listed in Table 4, as well as the The list of Norwegian IBAs is dominated by seabird cliffs and other proportion that breed within the IBA network. A smaller number seabird colonies, and to a lesser degree by important staging areas of bird species regularly stage in Norway on migration, or winter, for migrating geese from the Svalbard populations (particularly but do not breed, there, including eight SPECs, of which Polysticta Branta leucopsis and Anser brachyrhynchus). Fifteen sites hold stelleri is the only one considered to be of global conservation significant numbers of five species of global conservation concern, concern. Norway has no endemic bird species. thus qualifying as IBAs under criterion A1 (Table 2). A total of Norway is especially important, in a European context, for two species of global conservation concern: the number of breeding Haliaeetus albicilla (c.1,500 pairs) and the number of wintering Table 2. Important Bird Areas in Norway that are important for species of global conservation concern (meeting criterion A1). Polysticta stelleri (8,000–15,000 birds) are the largest in any European country. Congregations of Haliaeetus albicilla are Species IBA code scattered all along the coast of northern Norway, and many more Anser erythropus 003, 012 sites are likely to support significant numbers of birds than the Lesser White-fronted Goose nine IBAs listed here (Table 2). Therefore, while further data are Polysticta stelleri Steller’s Eider 003 collected to identify these sites, wide-scale measures are needed to Haliaeetus albicilla White-tailed Eagle 016, 019, 026, 028, 029, 030, 032, 038, 039 protect and conserve this species across the whole landscape, not Crex crex Corncrake 044 just in protected areas (Tucker and Evans 1997). Gallinago media Great Snipe 041, 042, 050 Apart from Øvre Pasvik (site 001), and three of the four sites chosen on the basis of the breeding numbers of Pandion haliaetus 510 Important Bird Areas in Europe – Norway Map 1. Location, area and criteria category of Important Bird Areas in Norway. 10 11 9 8 6 5 15 14 4 16 7 3 12 19 18 NORWEGIAN 20 2 SEA 21 13 23 17 1 22 24 RUSSIA 25 27 26 28 29 0 150 300 30 km 31 33 SWEDEN 32 38 34 35 39 36 40 37 FINLAND 41 Highest category of criteria met by IBA 42 A (47 IBAs) 51 52 B (5 IBAs) Area of IBA (ha) 50 17,000 to 427,200 43 2,130 to 16,999 48 44 330 to 2,129 47 10 to 329 49 (and unknown) 46 45 SKAGERRAK Table 3.