Tavvavuoma

View over palsa mires in Tavvavuoma, 1969.
Same view but the photo has been taken 42 years later and the palsas which you can see on the photo from 1969 are now gone.
Tavvavuoma has the largest concentration of palsas in Sweden and also the highest.

Tavvavuoma

  • Country: 
    Sweden
  • Site number: 
    33
  • Area: 
    28,920 ha
  • Designation date: 
    05-12-1974
  • Coordinates: 
    68°30'N 20°44'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

Tavvavuoma is a vast and unexploited mire complex set in one of the northernmost plateau regions of Lapland. The Site is rich and diverse: it includes palsa mires, alpine rivers, freshwater lakes, pools and mountain birch woodland. The Site is unusual in Sweden due to its natural hydrological regime which remains intact, unlike many other river valleys in the region which have been dammed for hydro-electricity production. Due to the cold climate, Tavvavuoma is also known as the most palsa-rich area in Sweden, with some palsas (peat mounds formed by the growth of permanently frozen ice lenses under the surface) reaching a height of up to seven metres. Climate change is affecting the condition of the palsas in Tavvavuoma. The palsa mires are characterized by a mosaic of microhabitats and the conditions provide opportunities for an unusually rich and varied plant and animal life. The vegetation here is strongly influenced by permafrost. The birdlife at the site is extremely rich for mires in this region, and as many as 78 bird species have been noted. At least 50% of these species breed within the Site, and densities of breeding Anatidae and waders reach the regionally high numbers of 70 pairs per square kilometre. Numerous lakes and streams attract fish and birds as well as fisherman and ornithologists.

Administrative region: 
Norrbotten

  • National legal designation: 
    • EU Natura 2000 SPA and SAC - Tavvavuoma
    • site of national importance for nature conservation - Tsåktsoplatån-Taavavuoma
  • Regional (international) legal designations: 
    • EU Natura 2000
  • Last publication date: 
    06-04-2017

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)