Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information This is the most important intertidal staging area for ducks and waders in south-west Netherlands. Thousands of geese Anser, feeding in adjacent farmland polders, use the area as roost. Recurvirostra avosetta and Charadrius alexandrinus breed in small lagoons (`inlagen', inland of the dyke) and at Neeltje Jans (building site of storm-surge barrier).

Site description This 40-km long water-body was formerly an estuary of the Rhine/Maas river system, via Hollands Diep (025) and Lake Volkerak (026), but has been closed off from the sea since 1986 by a storm-surge barrier which allows the tidal regime to continue with some restrictions. The sea can be completely shut out during storms or high tides. Two freshwater lakes have developed on the eastern side following the construction of secondary dams (Markiezaat and Zoommeer, 029 and 030). South of this area, Lake Veersemeer (031) came into being following the closing of the Veerse Gat in 1961. This site, together with sites 029 and 030, formed part of a single, larger site (former site NL050) in the previous pan-European IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989).

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
Inlagen Anna Friso	Nature Reserve	10	protected area contained by site	10
Inlagen Noord-Beveland	Nature Reserve	45	protected area contained by site	45
Oosterschelde - NL1000018	Habitats Directive	36,888	protected area contains site	36,880
Oosterschelde - NL3009016	Birds Directive	35,495	protected area contained by site	35,495
Oosterschelde and Markiezaatmeer	Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar)	38,000	protected area overlaps with site	36,160
Oosterschelde Buitendijks	Nature Reserve	752	protected area contained by site	752
Oosterschelde-binnendijks	Natural Monument	340	protected area contained by site	340
Oosterschelde-buitendijks	Natural Monument	22,000	protected area contained by site	22,000
Schelphoek	Nature Conservation Law	73	protected area contained by site	224
Thoolse Schorren en Slikken	Nature Reserve	149	protected area contained by site	149

Habitats

Land use

Management considerations The main problems are: the reduction of tidal volume and flow-speed by 30% due to the building of the storm-surge barrier; cockle Cardium fisheries and shellfish farming; disturbance by ultra-light aircraft and by the air force; and the expansion of recreation (boating). The SPA and Ramsar designations also include Markiezaat (030).

Protection status National Partial International High340 ha of IBA covered by Natural Monument (Oosterschelde-binnendijks, 340 ha). 240 ha of IBA covered by Natural Monument (Oosterschelde-binnendijks, 240 ha). 1,230 ha of IBA covered by Natural Monument (Oosterschelde-buitendijks, 1,230 ha). 22,000 ha of IBA covered by Natural Monument (Oosterschelde-buitendijks, 22,000 ha). 224 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Schelphoek, 224 ha). 149 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Thoolse Schorren en Slikken, 149 ha). 10 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Inlagen Anna Friso, 10 ha). 45 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Inlagen Noord-Beveland, 45 ha). 752 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Oosterschelde Buitendijks, 752 ha). 36,160 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Oosterschelde, 38,000 ha). 36,160 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Oosterschelde en Markiezaat, 38,000 ha).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Oosterschelde. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2013

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