Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
Lying c.180 km north-west of Shiraz, the site comprises the Kuh-i Dena massif in the central Zagros Mountains. The region extends from the forested valleys and foothills at c.1,450 m in the region of Yasuj and Sisakht in the south to the summit of Kuh-i Dena, at 4,404 m the highest peak in the Zagros. The topography is very dissected, with rugged limestone ridges separating steep-sided valleys, and many perennial springs, streams and rivers. The lower slopes and valleys have mature
Quercus forest and some wheat cultivation; there is
Pistacia-
Amygdalus scrub and some
Juniperus on the upper slopes, and alpine tundra and permanent snow fields on the highest summits. Around springs and along river banks are stands of
Salix and
Populus with some dense herbaceous vegetation. There are several small villages in the valleys, and livestock grazing occurs. Land ownership is public.
See box for key species. The region supports the typical avifauna of the Zagros oak forest and montane habitats. Other breeding species include
Dendrocopos medius,
Sylvia hortensis,
Parus lugubris,
Lanius nubicus,
Petronia xanthocollis,
Montifringilla nivalis,
Serinus pusillus and
Emberiza buchanani.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
No conservation measures are known to have been proposed and there is no information on threats to the site.
Data-sheet compiled by Dr D. A. Scott, reviewed by Dept of Environment.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kuh-i Dena, and Yasuj and Sisakht area (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kuh-i-dena-and-yasuj-and-sisakht-area-iba-iran-islamic-republic-of on 05/12/2024.
