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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2005 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
White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala	EN	winter (2003)	16 birds	A1, C1
Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis	VU	winter (1997)	3,020–39,233 birds	A1, A4i, B1i, C1, C2
Greylag Goose Anser anser	LC	winter (2004)	311 birds	B1i, C3
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons	LC	winter (1997)	5,657–73,531 birds	A4i, B1i, C3
Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus	VU	winter (1998)	15–50 birds	A1, C1
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca	NT	winter (2001)	67 birds	A1, C1
Little Crake Zapornia parva	LC	breeding (1998)	5–7 pairs	C6
Common Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus	LC	breeding (1996)	14–17 pairs	C6
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea	LC	breeding (1998)	4–6 pairs	C6
Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus	NT	winter (2002)	200 birds	A1, A4i, B1i, C1, C2
Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus	LC	passage (1996)	47–228 birds	A1, A4i, B1i, C1, C2
Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus	LC	winter (-)	4–356 birds	A1, A4i, B1i, C1, C2
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus	LC	breeding (1996)	8–17 pairs	B2, C6
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola	LC	breeding (1996)	2–14 pairs	C6
Mew Gull Larus canus	LC	winter (2001)	330 birds	B1i, C3
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	LC	breeding (1998)	5–8 pairs	C6
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	LC	resident (1996)	4 pairs	C6
Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus	VU	breeding (1998)	5 pairs	B2, C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter (1997)	50,000-99,999 birds	A4iii, C4

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2005. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Actual vs Reference (units)	% remaining	Result
Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis	16,000 / 39,233 (birds)	41	poor
Greylag Goose Anser anser	300 / 2,202 (birds)	14	very poor
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons	60,000 / 104,837 (birds)	58	poor
Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus	10 / 50 (birds)	20	very poor
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca	10 / 20 (pairs)	50	poor
Charadrius alexandrinus	5 / 22 (pairs)	23	very poor
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola	0 / 14 (pairs)	0	very poor
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	3 / 8 (pairs)	38	very poor

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	poor (40–69%)	poor (40–69%)	very poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Agricultural expansion and intensification	likely in short term (<4 years)	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Residential and commercial development	likely in short term (<4 years)	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Climate change and severe weather	likely in long term (>4 years)	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Energy production and mining	likely in short term (<4 years)	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

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 management plan exists, but it is out of date or not compre­hensive	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1900	Durankulak Lake	National Monument (-)	10
1980	Ezero Durankulak	Zashtitena Mestnost (VI)	13

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Artificial/Terrestrial	69	Arable land; Perennial crops, orchards and groves
Grassland	5	Steppes and dry calcareous grassland; Humid grasslands; Mesophile grasslands
Shrubland	4	Scrub
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	-
Marine Intertidal	-
Marine Neritic	-

Land use	% of IBA
hunting	75
agriculture	74
nature conservation and research	22
water management	20

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Durankulak Lake (Bulgaria). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/durankulak-lake-iba-bulgaria on 23/12/2024.