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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Pochard Aythya ferina | VU | passage (2006) | 15,000 birds | A4i |
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | n/a | passage (2006) | 25,000 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 (2017) is shown below.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2017 | very poor | very high | high |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| yes | habitat | medium | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Actual vs Reference (units) | % remaining | Result | ||
| Common Pochard Aythya ferina | 5 / 15,000 (birds) | 1 | very poor | ||
| Gadwall Mareca strepera | 15 / 1 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus | 21 / 150 (birds) | 15 | very poor | ||
| Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus | 90 / 1 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| State (condition of the trigger species' habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat | Quantity (% remaining) | Quality (% carrying capacity) | Result |
| Grassland | poor (40–69%) | moderate (70–90%) | very poor |
| Wetlands (inland) | 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%) | moderate decline (10–30% over 3 generations) | very high |
| Human intrusions and disturbance | happening now | most of population/area (50–90%) | moderate decline (10–30% over 3 generations) | high |
| Agricultural expansion and intensification | happening now | most of population/area (50–90%) | slow decline (1–10% over 3 generations) | high |
| Pollution | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | slow decline (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation | A comprehensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species | Substantive conservation measures are being implemented, but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity | high |
| Habitat | % of IBA | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 45 | Steppes & dry calcareous |
| Wetlands (inland) | 45 | Standing brackish & salt water; Water-fringe vegetation |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Shrubland | 5 |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| fisheries/aquaculture | 45 |
| rangeland/pastureland | 25 |
| agriculture | 5 |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Balyktykol Lake (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/balyktykol-lake-iba-kazakhstan on 22/12/2024.