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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2004 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('key species') at the site:

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca	VU	breeding (-)	5 breeding pairs	B1i

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2004. The most recent assessment (2016) is shown below.

State (condition of the key species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Wetlands (inland)	good (>90%)	good (>90%)	favourable

Pressure (threats to the key species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Residential and commercial development	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	no deteri­oration (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the key species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Most of site (50–90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	No manage­ment planning has taken place	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
-	Balik Gölü	Drinking Water Reservoir (-)	48

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Wetlands (inland)	50	Standing freshwater; Water fringe vegetation
Other	33

Land use	% of IBA
water management	100

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Balık Lake (Türkiye). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/balık-lake-iba-türkiye on 24/01/2025.