Oudegaasterbrekken, Fluessen en omgeving
Netherlands (Aruba)
The Ramsar Sites Oudegaasterbrekken en omgeving (Site number 1276) and Fluessen / Vogelhoek / Morra (Site number 1243) have been combined in one Ramsar Site following Natura 2000 boundaries. This combination has resulted in an increase of 170 ha. The Site is a complex of freshwater lakes, surrounded by seasonally flooded agricultural land, reed beds, pastures and peat polders located in the River Rhine catchment area, south-west of the city of Sneek. The Site regularly supports more than 1% of the individuals of the population of barnacle goose, as well as more than 20,000 wintering waterbirds. The Site is also a very important feeding and resting area for European threatened species such as spotted crake, smew and ruff. The lakes act as water storage reservoirs providing water for irrigation during summer. The polders are intensively used for agriculture. Other human activities include commercial fisheries, recreation and boating, water management, conservation and research. Main threats to the ecological character of the Site are nutrient pollution and pressures from tourism. A management plan for the site is currently under preparation.