Data Zone
Country/territory: Kazakhstan
IBA Criteria met: A1, A3 (2005)
For more information about IBA criteria please click here
Area: 186,100 ha
| Most recent IBA monitoring assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | Threat score (pressure) | Condition score (state) | Action score (response) |
| 2012 | very high | near favourable | low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring please click here | |||
Site description
The IBA lies in the most western part of the Kazakhskyi Melkosopochnik (Kazakh Hilly Land). The eastern corner of the roughly rectangular polygon representing the IBA border outline rests against the large industrial settlement of Ulytau situated in the south-eastern foothills of the highest part of the Ulutau mountain massif.
The site is a hilly area elongated in a north-south direction, with separate low rocky mountains. The surrounding landscape in the north is dry steppes (Festuca-Stipa and bush steppe), in the south grass-wormwood semi-desert. Along the river valleys there are some stands of isolated birch-aspen woodland with an admixture of bird cherry, and rock ledges.
Key biodiversity
The IBA has the limited avifauna common to the vast semi-desert expanses of central Kazakhstan. Raptors are most important, numerically. The majority of these appear on the international or national Red Data Lists (Red Data Book of Kazakhstan, IUCN Red Data Book).
Non-bird biodiversity: The most important mammal is the endangered Ovis ammon collium (Red Data Book of Kazakhstan).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Ulytau Mountains. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 23/03/2023.
