AZ023
Samur Delta


Country/territory: Azerbaijan

IBA criteria met: B2 (2000)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 6,000 ha

IBA conservation status
Year of assessment (most recent) Threat (pressure) Condition (state) Action (response)
2008 medium unfavourable low
For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here


Site description (baseline)
Remnants of broadleaved forests (Quercus, Tilia, Ulmus, Fagus, etc.) in the lowland river delta of north-eastern Azerbaijan; the site also extends into Dagestan (Russia). Sand beaches along Caspian coast have been largely lost (inundated) since mid-1980s˜a few pebble beaches remain. Main land-uses around, and to some extent within, forest patches are crop-growing and cattle-grazing, while increasing numbers of tourists and others frequent the Caspian coast.

Key biodiversity
Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Haliaeetus albicilla (1-2 breeding pairs still present on the Dagestan side of this site). Other breeding species include Ciconia nigra, Aquila pomarina, Alcedo atthis (30+ pairs), and Coracias garrulus (50+ pairs). There is a congregation of seabirds off the delta from July to August (some thousands, but never counted) including Pelecanus sp. (some tens).


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Samur Delta. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/176 on 31/05/2023.