Lake of Seven Islands Nature Reserve

Lake of Seven Islands
Lake of Seven Islands
Lake of Seven Islands

Lake of Seven Islands Nature Reserve

  • Country: 
    Poland
  • Site number: 
    285
  • Area: 
    1,763 ha
  • Designation date: 
    03-01-1984
  • Coordinates: 
    54°18'N 21°34'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

The wetland in north-eastern Poland, near the town of Węgorzewo, encompasses a 300-hectare shallow lake with 14 forested islands, a peninsula with surrounding mires and forests, and a stretch of the Oświnka river which flows into the lake. Most of the lake’s surface is overgrown with reedbeds; it is surrounded by a belt of sedges and reeds, and in its immediate vicinity there are meadows and patches of forests. The Reserve is not inhabited, and so provides a good resting and feeding refuge for migratory birds: at least 28 species listed in Annex I of the European Union Birds Directive have been found to breed within the wetland, for example the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), the western osprey (Pandion haliaetus), the lesser spotted eagle (Aquila pomarina) and the black tern (Chlidonias niger). The Site is regularly used for scientific purposes, which include ornithological and ecological studies. It is also important for nature enthusiasts and birdwatchers, as its birds can be watched from the hills on the western edge of the Site. The main threats are shrinking of the water surface as the lake becomes shallower, overgrowing with marshland vegetation, and eutrophication caused by agricultural effluents. As of 2019, a management plan was being prepared.

Administrative region: 
Warmińsko-Mazurskie

  • National legal designation: 
    • Landscape Protection Area - of Oświn Lake (Obszar chronionego krajobrazu Jeziora Oświn)
    • Nature reserve - Lake of Seven Islands Nature Reserve (Rezerwat przyrody "Jezioro Siedmiu Wysp"
  • Regional (international) legal designations: 
    • EU Natura 2000
  • Last publication date: 
    11-02-2020

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents

Ramsar Advisory Missions