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LV018
Gulf of Riga, west coast
Location Latvia, Talsi district,Tukums district
Central coordinates 23o 11.00' East  57o 14.00' North
IBA criteria A4i, A4iii, B1i, C4
Area 120,000 ha
Altitude
Year of IBA assessment 2000

Latvijas Ornitologijas Biedriba



Ornithological information The Gulf of Riga is internationally important for several waterbirds in winter, and for moulting Bucephala clangula after the breeding season. This part of the gulf holds 20,000 or more waterbirds on a regular basis.

Site description A stretch of coastal waters within the Gulf of Riga, from Cape Kolka to the village of Lapmezciems, and extending offshore to 30 m depth. Bottom sediments are sandy with many shellfish, especially bivalves Macoma, while in deeper waters (>40 m depth) beyond the IBA the seabed has more gravel and mud. The site includes the sand beach (dominated by shingle and cobbles in places) and coastal meadows, although the latter constitute probably less than 5% of the total area.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
White-winged Scoter Melanitta fusca winter  1992-1999  14,000-80,000 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Not Recognised 
Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis winter  1992-1999  71,000-142,000 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Vulnerable 
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula non-breeding  1991-1999  6,550-13,425 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator winter  1990  1,890 individuals  -  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena winter  -  550 individuals  -  B1i  Least Concern 
A4iii Species group - waterbirds winter  1992  -  unknown  A4iii, C4   

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Coastline Sand dunes & beaches  -
Sea Sea inlets and coastal features  -

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
fisheries/aquaculture -
tourism/recreation -
urban/industrial/transport -

Management considerations There are various threats to the area from pollution (`Other' threat, above), seabird mortality in fishing nets, and disturbance to birds by industrial/recreational marine traffic. Coastal-zone regulations protect the shoreline from development to some extent. A stretch of this coast, from Kaltene to Engure, has been proposed as a Baltic Sea Protection Area, and an area of c.134,000 ha (including part or all of the IBA) is included on the national `shadow list' of potential Ramsar Sites.

Protection status National None International None

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Gulf of Riga, west coast. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/05/2013

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