KZ113
Arkaly Mountains This is an IBA in Danger! 


IBA Justification

The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2007 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:
Species Red List Season (year/s of estimate) Size IBA criteria
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni LC breeding (2006–2007) 50–70 pairs A1
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug EN breeding (1991–1992) 13–32 pairs A1

IBA Conservation

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2017) is shown below.

IBA conservation assessment
Year of assessment State Pressure Response
2017 moderate very high very low
Whole site assessed? State assessed by Accuracy of information
yes habitat good

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species Actual vs Reference (units) % remaining Result
White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala 10 / 2 (birds) 100 good
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea 40 / 10 (birds) 100 good
Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis 25 / 20 (birds) 100 good
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo 16 / 7 (pairs) 100 good
Great Bustard Otis tarda 16 / 30 (birds) 54 poor
Asian Houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii 4 / 5 (pairs) 80 moderate
Little Owl Athene noctua 20 / 30 (pairs) 67 poor
Eurasian Eagle-owl Bubo bubo 6 / 10 (pairs) 60 poor
Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis 12 / 7 (pairs) 100 good
Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca 2 / 4 (pairs) 50 poor
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos 4 / 4 (pairs) 100 good
Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus 18 / 17 (birds) 100 good
Milvus migrans 12 / 5 (pairs) 100 good
Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus 40 / 25 (pairs) 100 good
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni 60 / 40 (pairs) 100 good
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 60 / 20 (pairs) 100 good
Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo 8 / 8 (pairs) 100 good
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug 10 / 8 (pairs) 100 good

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat Quantity (% remaining) Quality (% carrying capacity) Result
Desert good (>90%) moderate (70–90%) moderate
Shrubland good (>90%) good (>90%) good
Grassland good (>90%) good (>90%) good
Wetlands (inland) good (>90%) good (>90%) good
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) good (>90%) good (>90%) good
Artificial/Terrestrial good (>90%) good (>90%) good

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat Timing Scope Severity Result
Biological resource use happe­ning now whole of popul­ation/area (>90%) rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations) very high
Agricultural expansion and intensification happe­ning now most of popul­ation/area (50–90%) no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations) low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation Planning Action Result
Unknown No management planning has taken place Unknown very low

Habitats

Habitat % of IBA Habitat detail
Desert 70 Desert & semi-desert - clay; Desert & semi-desert - sandy; Desert & semi-desert - salty
Grassland 10 Steppes & dry calcareous
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) 10 Inland cliffs; Scree, boulders & bare rocky areas
Shrubland 10 Low bushes
Artificial/Terrestrial minor (<10) Arable land; Highly improved reseeded grasslands
Wetlands (inland) minor (<10) Rivers & streams; Standing fresh water; Temporary water bodies; Standing brackish & salt water

Land use

Land use % of IBA
rangeland/pastureland 20


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Arkaly Mountains (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/arkaly-mountains-iba-kazakhstan on 25/12/2024.