Site: Kyliiske Mouth

Designation date: 23/11/1995

Coordinates: 45°23'N 029°36'E

Elevation: 0 - 2 m

Area: 32,800 ha

Location: Kyliiske Mouth is a part of the Danube River delta and is situated near Vylkove Town along the Black Sea in Odeska Oblast. It is close to the Sasyk Lake Ramsar site (3UA004) and the Romanian Danube Delta Ramsar site (3RO001).

Criteria: (1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4b): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8

Importance: Kyliiske Mouth includes rare, relict and endemic plant species, such as Trapa natans (relic), Salvinia natans (relic), Nymphaea alba, Nuphar lutea, Nymphoides peltata, Caulinia minor, Lemna gibba, Wolffia arrhiza, Leymus sabulosus, Apera maritima and Polygonium sp. The site is important for breeding birds (max. 20,000 pairs), including threatened species such as pelicans Pelecanus crispus (1 - 12 pairs) and P. onocrotalus, the spoonbill Platalea leucorodia (60 pairs, about 1% of the European population), the duck Aythya nyroca, the cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus (> 1% of the European population), and the eagle Haliaeetus albicilla. The most numerous breeding birds are terns Sterna hirundo (max. 11,000 pairs), S. sandvicensis (2,000 pairs), and S. albifrons, the coot Fulica atra (6,000 pairs), ducks Anas platyrhynchos, Aythya nyroca and Netta rufina (about 1,000 pairs), herons Nycticorax nycticorax, Ardea cinerea, Egretta garzetta, Casmerodius albus, Ardea purpurea, Ardeola ralloides, and waders Recurvirostra avosetta, Charadrius alexandrinus and Haematopus ostralegus, and the ibis Plegadis falcinellus. The site is an important migration and wintering site for 2 to 3 million waterbirds, such as Cygnus olor (800 birds), C. cygnus, Anser anser (3,000), A. albifrons (10,000), Branta ruficollis, Anas penelope, A. crecca, A. acuta, A. querquedula, Aythya ferina, A. fuligula and A. marila, gulls Larus ridibundus, L. argentatus, L. minutus and L. canus, the tern Sterna caspia, the cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo and the waders Numenius arquata, N. phaeopus, Philomachus pugnax, Limosa limosa, Tringa totanus, Recurvirostra avosetta and Himantopus himantopus. Furthermore, the site supports the globally threatened wader Numenius tenuirostris and the threatened goose Branta ruficollis. The warmed shallow bays are important mass migration, spawning and nursery places of the fry of Cyprinidae and Danube herring, and breeding, wintering and nursery places for very large numbers of frogs.

Wetland Types: F, M, A, E, K,O, Tp, Ts, Xf, 9 (listed in descending order of dominance)

Kyliiske Mouth (Kyliiske Hyrlo) is the delta of Kyliiskyi Arm (Kyliiska Delta) of the Danube River, with a lot of river arms, channels, islands, swamp areas, floodplain forests, freshwater lakes and sandy spits, which enclose bays on the seaward side of the delta.

Biological/Ecological notes: The Danube delta area is characterised by a high diversity of species. Freshwater plant species prevail, but relic ‘pontian-caspian’ complex (such as Heterocope caspia and Dreissena polymorpha) and Mediterranean-Sea complex (such as Eurytemora affinis and E. vorax) are also well-represented. The estuarine islands support lake and marsh vegetation composed mainly of reeds Phragmites australis, Typha angustifolia, Sparganium sp. and Carex sp., with thickets of Salix sp. and Solanum dulcamara in higher areas. The waters are rich in aquatic and submergent vegetation with extensive stands of Vallisneria spiralis, Najas sp. and Ceratophyllum demersum. On dried out sandy and silty spits, the predominant plants are Salsola sp., Elymus arenarius, Xanthium sp. and Tussilago farfara. Along the sea edge of some of the larger islands, large beds of Hippophae rhamnoides occur. The site supports at least 133 bird species. The warmed shallows of the bays include rich plankton, nekton and benthos, especially crustaceans, molluscs and larvae of waterside insects. The site contains many native fish species.

Hydrological/Physical notes: The flat islands of alluvial origin are separated from each other by small and large channels. In the lower coastal zone, the channels open into a system of shallow open bays, divided from the sea by low silty-sandy spits and underwater bars. In the arms, water current is strong. The islands are inundated at high water levels, and they usually contain residual stagnant waters in their inland parts. All delta water bodies are fresh. Only the sea shallows have a variable degree of salinity, depending mainly on the strong easterly winds. The flow of sediment depends on the weather conditions in the Danube basin. The water level in the delta may fluctuate by 90 cm per day, and depends on seasonal phenomena, such as flood and wind. The March flood submerges 95% of the territory of delta. Average height of the water level between floods is 80 - 180 cm. The river water has a salinity of 1.8‰.

Human Uses: Part of the site is owned by the state, and part has a collective ownership. The surrounding area is partly owned by the state, and partly collective and private ownership. The Christian religious centre Vylkove (also known as the ‘Ukrainian Venice’) is located at the border of the Kyliiske Mouth. The mouth contains numerous channels, which harbour many boats. There is some limited and controlled hunting, traditional fishing, grazing of cattle and sheep, haymaking, frog catching and recreation at the site. These activities occur in the surrounding area, along with traditional farming, including wine making, cultivation of rice and cutting of reeds. Scientific research projects on ecology and waterbirds censuses have been carried out by experts from the Dunaiskyi Man and Biosphere Reserve. Ecotourism occurs within the borders of the Biosphere Reserve. Small educational projects such as the publication of leaflets and booklets, workshops etc. have been carried out. Discussions between experts and land-users on the future use of resources (hunting, fishing, reed harvesting) have taken place. There is an environmental education centre on site.

Conservation Measures: When Ukraine was part of the USSR, this site was known as the Kylijske Gyrlo Ramsar site. Kyliiske Mouth is part of the Dunaiskyi (Danube) UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve. An integrated management Plan has been developed for this site that lies within the framework of the management plan for the Danubian Biosphere Reserve. The site is twinned with the Danube Delta. The creation of a non-disturbance area for waterbirds, nursery places for fish, and breeding sites for amphibians, has been proposed. At the same time, more human activities will be allowed in parts of the wetland that are less important for waterbirds, frogs and fish. The Government plans to establish a navigable waterway through the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta. Therefor, a Ramsar Advisory Mission was conducted in 2003 to examine the discussed choices in view of their impact on the status and functioning of the site.

Adverse Factors: Commercial fishing activities occur on the main breeding, feeding and resting areas for birds. There is also some illegal fishing within the wetland, and night spotlight poaching of frogs. As a result of all disturbances, the wetland hosts fewer waterbirds than its capacity allows. There is considerable organic and toxic pollution of the Danube River and of floodplain water from local rice fields. A potential threat are plans for navigation infrastructure development within the delta region.

Site Management: State Department of Ecological Safety, 83 Sverdlov str., 270 107 Odessa, Ukraine. Tel./Fax: +380-482251322. E-mail: postmaster@eco14.FreeNet.Kiev.UA

Based on the 1998 Ramsar Information Sheet. Please see "Site Descriptions" in the Introduction for more details about the structure and content of Directory descriptions. This site entry was slightly revised on February 24, 2003, based on information contained in the 2002 Ramsar National Report and on April 2, 2004 following the receipt of new official information.