Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve
Description
The reserve is dominated by strandlines and patterned ground, although large sections are glaciated. On Edgeøya, many areas have raised beach deposits, giving distinct strandline, and showing whale bones formerly below sea level. The most popular tourist destinations within the reserve are Kapp Lee, Diskobukta and Halvmåneøya. There is an all-year visitation ban on Zieglerøya, Delitschøya, Spekkholmen, Haudegen and large parts of Halvmåneøya.
Flora and fauna
Traditionally, the area has been used for trapping polar bear and walrus; remains of trapper buildings remain at Ekrollhamna. The reserve contains the most important resting places for walrus in the archipelago. The area also features a lot of reindeer, and is used as a nesting places for birds. On Thousand Islands is a core area featuring red-throated divers, brent geese and Arctic terns. The vegetation is moss tundra, formed by centuries of accumulated reindeer excrement.
The reserve has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports breeding populations of barnacle and brent geese, king eiders. purple sandpipers and glaucous gulls.
References
- ^ "Protected Areas in Svalbard" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
- ^ "Protected areas". Governor of Svalbard. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "South-east Svalbard Nature Reserve". Important Bird Areas factsheet. BirdLife International. 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-24.