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SJ010
South Spitsbergen National Park
Location Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway), Svalbard
Central coordinates 16o 31.00' East  77o 16.00' North
IBA criteria A4i, A4ii, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B3
Area 467,300 ha
Altitude 0 - 1,205m
Year of IBA assessment 2000





Ornithological information Sea cliffs at Stellingfjellet and Kovalskifjella (both on the east coast of Torrell Land) and at Sofiekammen (Gnalberget; facing Hornsund) hold important seabird colonies, while the Bird Sanctuaries are important breeding and moulting areas for Branta leucopsis and Somateria mollissima.

Site description An area of high-Arctic tundra. The Bird Sanctuaries within the National Park are islands and islets with grassy vegetation, freshwater ponds and bare areas. A Polish research station is situated in the southern part of the park.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis breeding  1989  850-950 breeding pairs  -  A4i, B1i, B3  Least Concern 
Common Eider Somateria mollissima breeding  1989  1,000 breeding pairs  -  B1i  Least Concern 
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla breeding  1989  25,900 breeding pairs  -  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Thick-billed Guillemot Uria lomvia breeding  1989  208,500-210,000 breeding pairs  unknown  A4ii, B1ii  Least Concern 
A4iii Species group - waterbirds breeding  1989  -  unknown  A4iii   
A4iii Species group - seabirds breeding  1989  -  unknown  A4iii   

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Dunøyene [Bird Sanctuary] Nature Reserve 120 protected area contained by site 120  
Dunoyane Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) 120 protected area contained by site 120  
Isøyene [Bird Sanctuary] Nature Reserve 30 protected area contained by site 30  
Isoyane Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) 30 protected area contained by site 30  
Olsholmen [Bird Sanctuary] Nature Reserve 46 protected area contained by site 46  
Sør-Spitsbergen National Park 530,000 protected area contains site 467,300  
Sørkapp [Bird Sanctuary] Nature Reserve 3,599 protected area contained by site 3,599  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Grassland Tundra  100%
Coastline Sea cliffs and rocky shores  -

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
nature conservation and research 100%

Management considerations No threats are known.

Protection status National High International Low467,300 ha of IBA covered by National Park (Sør-Spitsbergen, 530,000 ha). 120 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Dunøyene [Bird Sanctuary], 120 ha). 30 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Isøyene [Bird Sanctuary], 30 ha). 46 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Olsholmen [Bird Sanctuary], 46 ha). 3,599 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Sørkapp [Bird Sanctuary], 3,599 ha). 120 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Dunøyene, 120 ha). 30 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Isøyene, 30 ha).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: South Spitsbergen National Park. 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