A bird reserve (also called ornithological reserve) is a

wildlife refuge A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...

designed to protect

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

species. Like other wildlife refuges, the main goal of a reserve is to prevent species from becoming

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

. Typically, bird species in a reserve are protected from

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

and

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

. Because of the protection they provide from such threats, bird reserves also serve as excellent locations for

bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

. Normally, wildlife refuges are under the care of non-profit organizations and governmental institutions.

Protected area

A bird reserve is an area where steps have been taken to preserve a habitation that is vital to birds. It can be areas such as

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

s, that normally attract many birds, or land that is important to the survival of an endangered species. Globally, there are different kinds of protected areas with varying legal status. Examples of such are international protection programs, programs governed by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, national and regional programs.

Protection programs

IBA

IBA (Important Bird Area) is an international protection program initiated by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

. An IBA area is a

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

that is vital for protecting birds from a global perspective. In 2012, there were over 10,000 IBA areas around the world. The areas are identified by BirdLife International and have to be small enough so that the entire habitat can be preserved. The area must also be of a different character, easily distinguished, than the surrounding habitats. The IBA areas are often part of already existing protected areas and are therefore under protection of national law. Legal status and protection for areas that are not part of national protected area, vary depending on the country.

SPA

The European Union's

Birds Directive The Birds Directive (formally known as Council Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds) is the oldest piece of EU legislation on the environment and one of its cornerstones which was unanimously adopted in April 1979 as the Dir ...

requires that special protected areas for birds, so called SPA (Special Protection Areas).

Ramsar

The

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...

(The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat) is an international agreement to protect wetlands, with special focus on aquatic birds.

Around the world

Sweden

In Sweden it is the

County administrative boards of Sweden A county administrative board () is a Swedish Government Agency in each of the counties of Sweden, led by a vice-regal governor () appointed by the government for a term of six years. The lists of gubernatorial officeholders, in most cases, stret ...

and the

Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations: * Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia * Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana) * Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) * Environmenta ...

that selects which areas are to be designated as bird reserves. Among the noted areas are

Tåkern Lake Tåkern () is a lake in Östergötland County, Sweden. It is considered one of northern Europe's foremost bird lakes. It is long and wide, with an average depth only . The lake lies around west of Mjölby, bordering in the west to Omberg. ...

, Lake Hornborga, the southern part of

Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Oland'' internationally) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. ...

and Getterön. There are approximately 50 Ramsar areas in Sweden, and around 530 SPA areas where the latter comprises almost .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird Reserve Bird sanctuaries