Vigelsø is a small, uninhabited island in
Odense Fjord
Odense Fjord is a 13 km long fjord on the northern part of the Danish island of Funen.
It covers an area of about 63 km2.
Geography
The city of Odense is connected with the fjord through the Odense Canal. The Odense River ends in t ...
, off the coast of
Funen
Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...
,
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. With an area of , it is the largest island in the fjord and an important breeding ground for waterfowl and rest stop for
migratory bird
Bird migration is a seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds that occurs twice a year. It is typically from north to south or from south to north. Migration is inherently risky, due to predation and mortality.
Th ...
s.
It is part of the
Special Area of Conservation
A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
''No. SPC 94, Odense Fjord'' under the
EU 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 ...
and
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 ...
s.
History
Archeological findings have documented human activity on the island from the earliest times.
[ Originally the island was a 66-hectare ]glacial moraine
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice s ...
island separated from the smaller islands of Store and Lille Ægholm to the south by a shallow-watered area. In 1873 this area was reclaimed and the island's size was roughly doubled.
In 1990 the Danish Ministry for the Environment acquired the island to conduct ecological restoration
Ecological restoration, or ecosystem restoration, is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, destroyed or transformed. It is distinct from conservation in that it attempts to retroactively repair ...
and reforestation
Reforestation is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation, clearcutting or wildfires. Three important purpose ...
.
Vigelsø today
Vigelsø is a low-lying island with its highest point, Østerhoved, only reaching six metres above the sea. There is a 25 hectares forest on the northern part of the island while the southern part consists of coastal meadow
Coastal meadows are meadows in the coastal zone, influenced by the sea.
Under this definition, the salinity of the air and wind is usually high and the flora is dominated by salt-tolerant species. Some coastal meadows may be flooded by seawater ...
s.observation tower
An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...
and a hide. There is a primitive camp site on the island.
See also
* List of islands of Denmark
This is a list of islands of Denmark.
Overview
There are around 1400 islands in Denmark, where about 409 of the islands are named, not including the Faroe Islands or Greenland. Some 70 of them are populated while the rest are uninhabited. Some o ...
References
External links
Vigelsø pamphlet
Uninhabited islands of Denmark
Geography of Odense
{{Denmark-island-stub