Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information Criterion A1 is applied to the site because of Pallas’s sandgrouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxys), Saker falcon (Falko cherrug), and wintering species such as Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) and White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla).Criterion A4iii is applied because of high number of wintering waterfowl and waterbirds: Anseriformes, Podicipedidae, Laridae and waders during the passage. According to winter counts every year from 25 to 80 thousand individuals of 30 species winter here.Site hosts 267 bird species. Shallows and inlets are used by birds in winter time. Coot (Fulica atra) and Mallard breed here. IBA is wintering ground for Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus), Gadwall, Garganey. During the mass passage are seen Northern Pintail, Common Teal and waders. Stony desert areas home of Pallas’s sandgrouse, Lesser short-toed lark, Oenanthe spec.. Foothill-adyr zone hosts Saker falcon, Golden eagle, Egyptian and other vultures.

Site description The territory includes dry steppes and semi-deserts, part of Issyk-Kul lake, foothill- adyr areas. Vertical differentiations of relief, heterogeneity of soil conditions make vary landscapes of dry-steppes and stony-deserts. Territory is close to Balykchy city.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
Issyk Kul	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve	4,311,588	protected area contains site	2,700
Issyk-Kul	State Nature Reserve	19,000	protected area overlaps with site	1,350
Isyk-Kul State Reserve with the Lake Isyk-Kul	Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar)	623,600	protected area contains site	2,700

Habitats

Land use

Other biodiversity Mammals dominating in steppes areas are: European suslik, jerboa, vole, Tolai hare, as well as Long-eared hedgehog, predators’- wolf, fox, manul and weasel. Reptiles are presented with 2 species: Steppe runner and Multi-Ocellated Racerunner. Plants are ephedra, nitaria, Pine, Thermopsis genus and sea buckthorn. Lake Issyk-Kul hosts 28 species of fish and 8 of them are endemics such as Naked Osman, Balkhash Marinka and others

Management considerations Agricultural intensification (B) and human disturbance (B)

Protection status Territory of Issyk-Kul reserve consists of 12 small sites surrounding the lake

Conservation response Site conservation work was done by staff of reserve. In 2000 it was created Biosphere territory Issyk-Kul. In October of 2001 Issyk-Kul got official recognition by UNESCO. In general, the IBA territory is great interest and there are good opportunities for further studies (researches).

Acknowledgements Data-sheet compiled 24-09-2006 by S. V. Kulagin (NABU), received by BirdLife Cambridge May 2008, translated by Tsovinar Hovhannisyan in summer 2010, entered into WBDB by Rory McCann in autumn 2010.

References Ardamin I. (1976) Wintering waterfowl in Issyk-Kul. Studies of Issyk-Kul reserve. Frunze “Kyrgyzstan” p. 45-62 Kidiraliev A. (1976) Waterfowl and waterbirds of Issyk-Kul reserve. Studies of Issyk-Kul reserve. Frunze “Kyrgyzstan” p. 24-44 Counts of waterfowl. Chronicle “Nature of Issyk-Kul reserve” 1987 Yanushevich A. I. and others (1959) Birds of Kyrgyzstan, vol. 1

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Western Issyk Kul Lake. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013

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