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NL050
Waal: Ewijk-Waardenburg
Location Netherlands, Gelderland
Central coordinates 5o 32.00' East  51o 54.00' North
IBA criteria A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, C2, C3, C4, C6
Area 5,940 ha
Altitude 3 - 10m
Year of IBA assessment 2000

Vogelbescherming Nederland



Ornithological information There are two roosts of geese Anser, which come from surrounding feeding areas, but counts underestimate actual numbers. The mean total number of waterbirds in January exceeds 20,000.

Site description A 39-km long stretch of the River Waal, close to Gelderse Poort (048), between the villages of Ewijk and Waardenburg. The site comprises the river channel, surrounding flood-plain (used mainly for dairy farming) and clay pits, and is bounded by winter dykes.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons winter  1991  15,029 individuals  good  A4i, B1i, C3  Least Concern 
Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus winter  1991  378 individuals  good  A4i, B1i, B2, C2  Least Concern 
Common Pochard Aythya ferina non-breeding  1991  4,540 individuals  good  B1i, C3  Least Concern 
Corncrake Crex crex breeding  1991  5 breeding pairs  good  C6  Least Concern 
A4iii Species group - waterbirds winter  1991  20,000 individuals  unknown  A4iii, C4   

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Afferdense en Deestse Waard Nature Reserve 97 protected area contained by site 97  
Bandijk Winssen Nature Reserve 43 protected area contained by site 43  
Hurwenensche Uiterwaarden Nature Reserve 146 protected area contained by site 146  
Kil van Hurwenen Natural Monument 48 protected area contained by site 48  
Neerijnen Nature Reserve with Management Subsidy 288 protected area overlaps with site 220  
Rijswaard en Kil van Hurwenen - NL2003041 Habitats Directive 458 protected area overlaps with site 545  
Sint Andries Nature Reserve 65 protected area contained by site 65  
Waal - NL2000011 Birds Directive 5,499 protected area contained by site 5,499  
Waarden bij Heeselt Nature Reserve 45 protected area contained by site 45  
Waarden bij Wamel Nature Reserve 9 protected area contained by site 9  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Wetlands (inland) Rivers and streams  28%
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial) Highly improved re-seeded landscapes  72%

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture 45%
fisheries/aquaculture 15%
water management 100%
hunting 5%
nature conservation and research 11%
tourism/recreation 20%
urban/industrial/transport 11%

Management considerations The SPA designation covers some river forelands in the western part of the site. A compensation scheme is in place for those farmers affected by restrictions on agricultural practices. Clay extraction is combined with restoration of river forelands.

Protection status National Partial International Partial48 ha of IBA covered by Natural Monument (Kil van Hurwenen, 48 ha). 97 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Afferdense en Deestse Waard, 97 ha). 43 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Bandijk Winssen, 43 ha). 146 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Hurwenensche Uiterwaarden, 146 ha). 220 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Neerijnen, 293 ha). 65 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Sint Andries, 65 ha). 45 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Waarden bij Heeselt, 45 ha). 9 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Waarden bij Wamel, 9 ha). 1,005 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Kil van Hurwenen e.o, 1,005 ha).

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

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife