Current view: Text account
Site description (2014 baseline):
Site location and context
Darbandikhan is a large freshwater reservoir created by the Darbandikhan Dam that is fed by two main rivers, the Tanjero in the north and the Sirwan in the east, and covers (depending on the time of year) approximately 7,500 ha (Evans, 1994) who listed Darbandikhan, along with Dukan and Bakhma, as an Important Bird Area
Additional Important Bird Observatons: During the surveys, 56 species were recorded. In addition to those in the table the site also held breeding populations of three Irano-Turanian, one Mediterranean and one Sahara-Sindian Desert biome-restricted species but these did not trigger inclusion under criterion A3. European Roller Coracias garrulous, a Near Threatened species was also recorded.
Other Important Fauna: Mammal surveys were conducted in 2007 and 2010. In addition to those listed in the table, important species present at the site include the Near Threatened Eurasian otter Lutra lutra, Golden Jackal Canis aureus and one local fisherman reported seeing a Eurasian Lynx Lynx lynx in 2006. No significant reptiles or amphibians were observed on the survey.
Fish: Data were collected in 2007 and 2008, when 26 species were observed. Significant species according to Coad (2010) were: Acanthobrama marmid, Alburnus mossulensis, Leuciscus vorax, Luciobarbus subquincunciatus, Carassius auratus, Cyprinus carpio, Cyprinion macrostomum, Cyprinion kais, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Heteropneustes fossilis, Luciobarbus esocinus, L. xanthopterus, Silurus triostegus, and Tor grypus. Six species whose conservation status is unknown in Iraq were also found: Alburnus caeruleus, Capoeta barroisi, Capoeta damascina, Chondrostoma regium, Mastacembelus mastacembelus, and Squalius lepidus.
Additional Plant & Habitat Information: This site contains a good population of pistachio Pistacia eurycarpa, an economically and culturally important species. In addition, some species important present that are used for traditional foods including Gundelia tournefortii, Arum conophalloides, and Anchusa italica. Also, species important as genetic resources included Triticum aestivum, Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum, Hordeum bulbosum and Lens culinaris.
The main habitat types were mountain forest vegetation (primarily oak forests) and mountain riverine forest. The site is located in the Zagros range where the geology is limestone and soil types are clay and sandy clay. The lake is surrounded by hills covered with grass and small shrubs and mountains (including Bashari, Zmnako and Zawaly) that are covered in oak forests.
The area as a whole supports a significant amount of bird life. The rock-filled embankment dam was constructed between 1956 and 1961 for irrigation, flood control and power generation. The lake also supports recreational uses and a fishery. Due to problems after construction there have been several slope failures upstream and repairs required of the dam. Water levels decline in summer after the spring melt due to dam release and rise again when winter rains return in the late fall. The land is used for field crops especially wheat and barley.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Very high threats include livestock production/grazing, hunting and fishing, pollution, tourism (mainly along the Sirwan River, which people from Sulaimani City, Darbandikhan and Kalar District use as a picnic area). The presence of the dam was also considered a very high threat because of its impacts downstream especially on fish and the widely fluctuating level of the reservoir from year to year leave a wide belt of land around the reservoir with little to no vegetation. But the presence of the reservoir also attracts birds and other fauna. Collectively, sewage, water pollution and garbage were assessed as very high threats to the area, causing periodic fish mortality events (several large enough to receive attention in the local media in 2008, 2009 & 2011, but locals report they are a yearly occurrence in summer). These are most likely caused by untreated sewage from Suliamani and other towns polluting the Tanjero River.
There are gravel mines throughout the Tanjero basin and along the Sirwan River that were also assessed as a very high threat to the site. One of the most critical threats is from an Iranian state-built dam on the Sirwan River, which restricts water feeding into the lake. This has lowered the water level and impacted the biodiversity of the lake and river. Previous water quality surveys (Mahir et al 2009) indicate that there is heavy metal contamination in the lake with lead, zinc, cadmium and nickel often above reference standards for many survey areas within the sites.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Darbandikhan Lake (Iraq). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/darbandikhan-lake-iba-iraq on 23/11/2024.
