Current view: Text account
Site description (2006 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA is a deep hollow (depression) in the limestone-gypsum desert plateau of the Mangyshlak peninsula, 20 km to the east of Kendyrli Bay on the Caspian Sea, and 30 km to the south of Zhanaozen city (Karakiyanskiy district). The landscape is typical clay and sandy-clay northern desert with fragments of southern desert. The vegetation of the plains is mainly Artemisia-Salsola associations. The hollow is edged with steep cliffs (“chinks”) of limestone and chalk, with heights up to 150 m. The length of the hollow is about 30 km, the width up to 6-9 km.
Typical assemblage of desert species, with an interesting complex of birds of prey.
The land is not utilised because of a lack of water; there are roads and an oil pipeline near the border of the IBA. Existing use - nature conservation.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The main threats are:
- illegal capture of Saker Falcons
- development of infrastructure of petroleum (oil) production.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
None.
The IBA lies within the limits of the Kenderly-Kayasanskay State Reserve ("Zapovednaya Zona") of Republican Importance. The Reserve is managed by "Okhotzooprom" Association which is a division of the Committee of Forestry and Hunting of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kaundy Depression (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kaundy-depression-iba-kazakhstan on 23/11/2024.
