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FI042
Sundominlahti Bay and Söderfjärden
Location Finland, Länsi-Suomen lääni
Central coordinates 21o 35.00' East  63o 0.00' North
IBA criteria A4i, B1i, B2, C2, C3
Area 4,570 ha
Altitude
Year of IBA assessment 2000

BirdLife SUOMI-FINLAND



Ornithological information The most important staging area for Grus grus in Finland. It is also important for other staging waterbirds.

Site description A shallow eutrophic sea bay at the mouth of the Laihia river lying south of the town of Vaasa. Most of the bay is open water, although there are wide marshes, and extensive beds of reed Phragmites. To the south lies the agricultural area of Söderfjärden, which was previously a sea bay. The IBA also includes an undisturbed area of inner archipelago, where Grus grus from the farmland roost.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Bean Goose Anser fabalis passage  1996  1,500 individuals  good  B1i, C3  Least Concern 
Greylag Goose Anser anser passage  1996  290 individuals  good  B1i, C3  Least Concern 
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus passage  1996  1,000 individuals  good  A4i, B1i, C2  Least Concern 
Common Crane Grus grus passage  1996  2,800 individuals  good  A4i, B1i, C2  Least Concern 
Little Gull Larus minutus breeding  1996  40 breeding pairs  good  B2  Least Concern 

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Södra Stadsfjärden-Söderfjärden-Öjen - FI0800057 Birds Directive 2,855 protected area overlaps with site 2,459  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Wetlands (inland) Standing freshwater  -
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial) Arable land  50%
Coastline Lagoons  -

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture 50%
unknown 50%

Management considerations The active use of farmland in Söderfjärden is very important for staging cranes. Some farmers have requested a licence to shoot Grus grus since they cause damage to crops. Part of the area is a candidate SAC.

Protection status National None International High4,328 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Sundominlahti).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Sundominlahti Bay and Söderfjärden. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013

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