Nærå Coast and Æbelø area. 02/09/77; Region Syddanmark; 13,161 ha; 55°36'N 010°13'E. Natura 2000 (SAC, SPA), Nature Conservation Areas, Wildlife Reserves. Shallow coastal waters with saltmarshes, farmland, forested areas, and islands of which Aebelo is the only inhabited one. The site is an internationally important area for wintering and staging waterbirds, including cormorants and geese, and includes Gyldensteen's meadows, one of the few staging areas in Denmark for the Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons. Several Stone Age settlements and burial mounds are found within the site. The major threats to the ecological character of the wetland are eutrophication of coastal waters with regular blooms of filamentous algae and Sea Lettuce Ulva lactuca and meadow succession, posing a threat to goose populations. A management plan was developed in 2011 setting up site-specific nature goals and priorities. Parallel to this initiative, River Basin Management Plans have also been developed in order to improve water quality and the ecological status of wetland catchments and coastal areas. Ramsar site no. 155. Most recent RIS information: 2012.