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Site description (2007 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA is situated 60-70 km north-east of Karshi town. It belongs to the Kamashi and Chirakchi (south-eastern part of the reservoir) districts of Karshinskaya province. The reservoir is of the channel storage type and is located in the Kashkadarya river basin. The area of the reservoir is 44.4 km2, with a length of 17.5 km, maximum width of 5.5 km, average depth of 17.2 m, and a maximum depth of 30m. Its water is used for irrigation. The area has an acutely continental climate with hot and long summers, and short winters with little snow.
172 species of 15 orders have been recorded in the Kashkadarya river valley (Meklenburtsev, 1958). Сiconiiformes - 5 (2.90%), Anseriformes - 7 (4.06%), Falconiformes - 21(12.20%), Galliformes – 4 (2.32%), Gruiformes - 5 (2.90%), Charadriiformes - 22 (12.79%), Columbiformes - 9 (5.23 %), Cuculiformes - 1 (0.58%), Strigiformes - 4 (2.32%), Caprimulgiformes - 1 (0.58 %), Apodiformes – 2 (1.16%), Coraciiformes - (2.32%), Upupiformes - 1 (0.58%), Piciformes - 2 (1.16%) and Passeriformes - 84 (48.83%).
According to the literature (Meklenburtsev, 1958) Crex crex was recorded once during autumn migration near Chirakchi and Aythya nyroca once on the Kashkadarya river.
Coracias garrulus is common and numerous breeding in the steep loess banks of the Kashkadarya (Meklenburtsev, 1958). The IBA surveys were in winter and early spring, so there is no more detailed information about current numbers of this species.
Non-bird biodiversity: R.N. Meklenburtsev (1958) published data on the vertebrate animals in the Kashkadarya river valley. From insectivores, Hemiechinus auritus is common and H.hypomelas was found once. There are 5 species of Chiroptera but they are not numerous and are only found sporadically. Predators include Vulpes vulpes (widespread) and Canis aureus, C.lupus and Felis lybica are rare. Sus scrofa was recorded between Shahrisabs and Chirakchi. Of Rodents, Spermophilus fulvus, Rhombomis opinus and Ellobius tancrei are widespread. Reptiles are represented by 28 species: Testudines – 1 species (Agrionemis horsfieldi), lizards – 16 species, with Cyrtopodion caspius, Trapelus sanguinolentus and Phrynocephalus interckapularis being common; Varanus griseus is more rare. There are 11 species of snakes with Natrix tessellata, Coluber karelini and Psammophis lineolatum being common. Amphibia are represented by Rana ridibunda and Bufo viridis. Fish include Carssius auratus gibelio, Alburnoides bipunctatus eichwaldi, Varicorhynus capoeta, Heratensis nation steindachneri, Sabanejewia aurata aralensis, Nemacheilus malapterurus longicaudata, N. amudarjensis, N. oxianus, N. stoliczkai in the Kashkadarya river. The present ichthyofauna of the Kashkadarya river basin contains 23 species and subspecies (Mirzaev, 2000).
There are thick layers of river alluviums on which fertile soils were formed. Grey-brown and loamy grey-brownish soils are dominant. The littoral vegetation consists of reed, cat-tail, Myriophyllum and Utricularia. Submerged vegetation consists of different algae. According to the last surveys (2000-2006) there is intense silting up of the reservoir, overgrowing by vegetation and water levels are falling every year. Adjacent areas are ephemeral desert. The dominant species are: Аrtemisia sogdiana, A. seronita, and perennial herbs with a long growing period. There is a sparse cover of annual glasswort on saline soils (Korovin, Pelt et al, 1968).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The gradual siting up the Chimkurgan Reservoir.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
There were surveys by the all-USSR Institute of Plants Protection in the Kashkadarya region in the summers of 1951-1953 (Meklenburtsev, 1958). The species composition and distribution of vertebrates was also studied. 172 species of birds were described and some details of their ecology were given. Surveys by the Institute of Zoology and Parasitology of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences were carried out in 1963-1965. The species composition and distribution of vertebrates in the Karshinskaya steppe was studied and observations made of waterfowl on Lake Tudakul (Salihbaev, Karpenko et al., 1967). 158 birds species from 22 orders were recorded. Among them 41 species were breeding, 10 – residents, 18 – wintering and 81 – migrants.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chimkurgan Reservoir (Uzbekistan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chimkurgan-reservoir-iba-uzbekistan on 22/11/2024.
