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close| Location | Bulgaria, Lovech |
| Central coordinates | 25o 28.73' East 43o 37.88' North |
| IBA criteria | B1i, B2, C3, C6 |
| Area | 1,168 ha |
| Altitude | 21 - 38m |
| Year of IBA assessment | 2005 |
Ornithological information One of the most important nesting sites in the country for Phalacrocorax carbo, Nycticorax nycticorax and Platalea leucorodia. Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Phalacrocorax pygmeus (c.20 pairs before 1989, but now extinct), Haliaeetus albicilla (1 pair before 1989, now extinct).
Site description An island in the River Danube located between kilometres 576 and 560, lying opposite Vardim village, east of the town of Svistov. Alluvial forest of Quercus, Ulmus and Populus covers the eastern part of the island, while a Populus plantation covers the western part. There are also sandbars covered by seasonally flooded forest. Human activities include intensive management of the plantation, and hunting (including international hunting tourism) during the winter.
Populations of IBA trigger species
| Species | Season | Period | Population estimate | Quality of estimate | IBA Criteria | IUCN Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia | breeding | 1996 | 9-20 breeding pairs | good | B2, C6 | Least Concern |
| Black-crowned Night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax | breeding | 1996 | 40-45 breeding pairs | good | C6 | Least Concern |
| Little Egret Egretta garzetta | breeding | 1996 | 20-25 breeding pairs | good | C6 | Least Concern |
| Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo | breeding | 1996 | 350-375 breeding pairs | good | B1i, C3 | Least Concern |
Protected areas
| Protected area | Designation | Area (ha) | Relationship with IBA | Overlap with IBA (ha) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stariat Dab | Protected Landscape | 99 | protected area contained by site | 99 | |
| Vardim - BG0000204 | Habitats Directive | 1,105 | protected area contained by site | 1,105 | |
| Vardim Island - BG0002018 | Birds Directive | 1,168 | is identical to site | 1,168 |
Habitats
| IUCN habitat | Habitat detail | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | Alluvial and very wet forest | 95% |
| Coastline | Inland sand dunes | 5% |
Land use
| Land-use | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|
| forestry | 78% |
| hunting | 100% |
Management considerations Problems are (1) the disturbance to nesting waterbirds caused by forestry activities near the colonies, (2) the lowered water-levels of the Danube (due to the `Iron Gate' dam in Serbia) have caused the drying-out of forest, and (3) breeding colonies have shifted outside of the protected area. The eastern part of the IBA is protected.
Protection status National Partial International None99 ha of IBA covered by Protected Landscape (Stariat Dab, 99 ha).
Related state of the world's birds case studies
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Recommended citation BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Vardim Island. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/05/2013
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
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