Data Zone
Country/territory: Turkmenistan
IBA criteria met: A1, A3 (2006)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 75,289 hectares (752.89 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2018 | moderate | not assessed | medium |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2006 baseline)
The IBA occupies the southwest slope of the Koytendag (Kugitang) ridge - the southwest termination of the Hissar range of the Pamir-Alay mountain system. Administratively the IBA is located in the southeast of Turkmenistan, and occupies the middle and high mountain zone at heights of 900 to 3,139m above sea level (Ayribaba mountain).
Key biodiversity
The avifauna of the southwest Koytendag slope consists of three ornithological complexes: Turanian deserts, Kopetdag-Khorosanian and Pamiro-Alay mountain system, with biome CA04, CA06 and CA07 species represented.
The avifauna includes 144 species (15 orders, 38 families, 89 genus). Nesting birds – 122 species, non-migratory – 55 species, passage-nesting – 67 species, migratory – 18 species and passage – 14 species. Passeriformes (18 families, 53 genus, 91 species) and Falconiformes (2 families, 12 genus, 22 species) are most representative in terms of the number of species. 13 species are listed in the Red Data Book of Turkmenistan.
Species of the Sino-Himalayan temperate forest (Biome CA07) are: Parus rufonuchalis and Parus flavipectus and Certhia himalayana. Those of Biome CA06 are: Ammoperdix griseogularis, Irania gutturalis, Oenanthe finschii, Oenanthe picata capistrata, Sitta tephronota tephronota, Emberiza stewarti and Emberiza buchanani.
Biome CA05 is represented by: Rhodopechys sanguinea, Montifringilla nivalis, Сalandrella acutirostris, Anthus spinoletta and Tichodroma muraria and Biome CA04 by: Scotocerca inquieta and Emberiza bruniceps. On migration: Aquila nipalensis and Aquila heliaca occur.
Criterion А1 applies for: Aegypius monachus and Falco cherrug. Falco naumanni also occurs but numbers are insufficient to justify inclusion under this criterion.
Non-bird biodiversity: The flora of the IBA is represented by 982 species (430 genus and 86 families). The main plants are angiosperms (99.0%), which include a few ancient representatives: gymnosperms, ferns and Equisetaceae (10 species from 9 genus). Ten main families make up 64.8% of the composition of the flora – a typical feature of ancient-Mediterranean flora. Superpolymorphic genera are: Astragalus (69 species), Allium (32) and Cousinia (25). The list of vertebrate animals includes 10 species of fish, 2 amphibians, 28 reptiles, 144 birds and 51 mammals. In total 226 vertebrate taxa. 30 species of amphibians and reptiles have been recorded, with 2 species of amphibians, 1 - turtle, 15 - lizards and 14 — snakes (Shukurov, 1975, 1976 ; Ataev, 1985; Мakeev, 1987; Habibulov, 1990). 51 species of mammal have been recorded including: insectivores – 4, Chiroptera – 13, lagomorphs – 1, rodents – 10, predators - 11, ungulates – 5. In the Red List of IUCN and the Red Data Book of Turkmenistan are listed 18 rare species, including endemics: Lynx, Cervus elaphus, Capra falconeri and Ovis vignei. The most threatened are Cаpra falconeri, Ursus arctor, Hyaena hyaena, Lynx lynx, and Cervus elaphus bactrianus. The population of leopard (Panthera pardus) in Koytendag has possibly disappeared. (Mammals of Turkmenistan, 1995; Lukarevsky, etc., 2001).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Koytendag (Turkmenistan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/koytendag-iba-turkmenistan on 23/12/2024.