Data Zone
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus | LC | passage (2007) | 1,000–2,000 birds | A4i |
| Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis | VU | passage (2007) | 1,000–1,500 birds | A1, A4i |
| Greylag Goose Anser anser | LC | passage (2007) | 16,000–25,000 birds | A4i |
| Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus | VU | passage (2007) | < 50 birds | A1 |
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | n/a | passage (2007) | 37,000–57,000 birds | A4iii |
Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2015) is shown below.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2015 | very poor | not assessed | not assessed |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| yes | population | medium | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Actual vs Reference (units) | % remaining | Result | ||
| Mute Swan Cygnus olor | 62 / 17 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Greylag Goose Anser anser | 650 / 17,250 (birds) | 4 | very poor | ||
| Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons | 125 / 21,700 (birds) | 1 | very poor | ||
| Common Pochard Aythya ferina | 138 / 25 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula | 541 / 8 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata | 3 / 9 (birds) | 34 | very poor | ||
| Gadwall Mareca strepera | 56 / 250 (birds) | 23 | very poor | ||
| Mallard Anas platyrhynchos | 25 / 3,000 (birds) | 1 | very poor | ||
| Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus | 8 / 3 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis | 2 / 2 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Grey Heron Ardea cinerea | 2 / 1 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Great White Egret Ardea alba | 5 / 5 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo | 16 / 38 (birds) | 43 | poor | ||
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | 1,633 / 17,754 (birds) | 10 | very poor | ||
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Not assessed | Not assessed | Not assessed | not assessed |
| Year | Protected Area | Designation (management category) | % coverage of IBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Sogrovskiy | Zakaznik (IV) | 67 |
| 1967 | Smirnovskiy | Zakaznik (IV) | 66 |
| Habitat | % of IBA | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands (inland) | 55 | Standing brackish & salt water; Water-fringe vegetation |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | 26 | Arable land; Highly improved reseeded grasslands; Other urban & industrial areas |
| Forest | 15 | Wooded steppe |
| Grassland | 4 | Steppes & dry calcareous |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| nature conservation and research | 100 |
| agriculture | 30 |
| rangeland/pastureland | 30 |
| urban/industrial/transport | 6 |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Balykty Lake (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/balykty-lake-iba-kazakhstan on 23/12/2024.