Andakill Protected Habitat Area

Andakill Protected Habitat Area (Andakíll, Hvanneyri). 18/02/2013; Borgarfjardarsysla County; 3,086 ha; 64°33'41"N 021°46'09"W. Nature Reserve, Habitat Protected Area. A complex wetland located at the estuary of the fjord Borgarfjörður, with two rivers, Hvítá and Andakilsá, and the lake Vatnshamravatn, as well as alluvial floodplains, marshes, and managed hayfields. The shallow and rich freshwater lake hosts numerous species of waterbirds, among them shelducks Tadorna tadorna and the White-Tailed Sea Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla. When the tide is low, extensive mud, sand and gravel bars provide important feeding grounds for waterbirds. There is a peninsula into the fjord which consists of rows of rocky outcrops and extensive freshwater bogs. Along the river Hvítá there are alluvial plains created by regular floods containing high sediment loads and providing an important resting, feeding and breeding area for such wetland birds as the Greenland White-fronted goose Anser albifrons flavirostris. On the other side of the peninsula, the floodplains of river Andakilsá includeextensive wetlands and marshes primarily used for livestock grazing. The main hydrological value of thewetland is flood control, sediments and nutrients retention, carbon storage, and shoreline stabilization. Within the site there is the campus of the University of Agriculture of Iceland and a wetland centre for research and awareness raising for visitors. Ramsar Site no. 2129. Most recent RIS information: 2013.

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