Yagorlytska Bay

Colony of Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus on the island of Big Kinsky in Yagorlytska Bay, Black Sea Biosphere Reserve.
Coast of Yagorlytska Bay
Pelecanus onocrotalus on the coastal lakes of Yagorlytska Bay
The coastal lakes and salt marshes of Yagorlytska Bay are the stoppower place of many waders during migrations.
Middle winter accounting of wintering waterbirds.

Yagorlytska Bay

  • Country: 
    Ukraine
  • Site number: 
    116
  • Area: 
    39,692.7 ha
  • Designation date: 
    28-02-1997
  • Coordinates: 
    46°24'N 31°52'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

This Black Sea bay consists of several islands, saline lakes and temporary water bodies. It was originally designated in 1976 by the Soviet Union as part of the Site “Danube Delta and Tendrov/Yagorlitz Bays”. In 1995, after accession of Ukraine, that Site was split into three: Yagorlytska Bay, Tendrivska Bay (Ramsar Site no.768), and Kyliiske Mouth (Site no.113). In 2021 the boundary of Yagorlytska Bay was extended to include a large system of saltwater lakes in the north, and the total area increased by over 5,600 hectares. It is one of the least-disturbed wetlands in the Black Sea coastal region and supports a high level of biodiversity with many endemic species. It is a refuge for protected animals such as the sandy mole rat (Spalax arenarius), the viper Vipera renardi and two critically endangered sturgeons, Huso huso and Acipenser stellatus. Located at the intersection of two migration routes, it is an important resting place and wintering area for many birds including the whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus). As part of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, the Site is significant for long-term monitoring and scientific education.

Administrative region: 
Kherson and Mykolaiv regions

  • Global international designation: 
    • UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
  • National legal designation: 
    • Biosphere Reserve - Black Sea Biosphere Reserve NAS of Ukraine
    • Regional Landscape Park - Kinburn Spit
    • State Ornithological Reserve - "Yahorlytsky"
  • Regional (international) legal designations: 
    • Other international designation
  • Last publication date: 
    09-08-2022

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents

Ramsar Advisory Missions