Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A natural firth on the Black Sea coast in north-western Bulgaria, near the Romanian border. The water is fringed with reedbeds of
Phragmites,
Typha and
Schoenoplectus, and is surrounded by arable land and plantations of
Populus,
Fraxinus and
Prunus. The water-level varies widely, due to demand for irrigation and household-consumption in summer. There are some groups of
Salix trees around the lake, and scrub to the south-west is dominated by
Paliurus,
Crataegus and
Rosa.
The site is of global importance for wintering
Branta ruficollis,
Anser albifrons and
Phalacrocorax pygmeus, and also important for some other wintering or migrating waterbirds, e.g.
Cygnus olor. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Anser erythropus (max. 5 on passage and in winter).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The main problem is illegal hunting, including international hunting tourism. The management plan for Durankulak lake was prepared by the Ministry of Environment under the Bulgarian-Swiss Biodiversity Conservation Programme.
National Partial
International Partial350 ha of IBA covered by National Monument (Durankulak lake, 350 ha). 350 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Durankulak lake, 350 ha).
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 22/11/2024.
