RU1153
Lower Urushten river


IBA Justification

The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2008 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
Tawny Owl Strix aluco LC resident (1996) 100 pairs B3
Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus LC resident (1996) 21–24 pairs B2
Middle Spotted Woodpecker Leiopicus medius LC resident (1996) 20 pairs B3
Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata LC breeding (2004–2006) 30–50 pairs A1

IBA Conservation

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2008. The most recent assessment (2006) is shown below.

IBA conservation assessment
Year of assessment State Pressure Response
2006 moderate high very low
Whole site assessed? State assessed by Accuracy of information
yes habitat medium

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat Quantity (% remaining) Quality (% carrying capacity) Result
Grassland good (>90%) moderate (70–90%) moderate
Forest good (>90%) good (>90%) good
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) good (>90%) good (>90%) good
Shrubland good (>90%) good (>90%) good

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat Timing Scope Severity Result
Natural system modifications happe­ning now some of popul­ation/area (10–49%) moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations) high
Biological resource use happe­ning now few indivi­duals/small area (<10%) slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations) low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation Planning Action Result
Unknown No management planning has taken place Very little or no conservation action taking place very low

IBA Protection

Year Protected Area Designation (management category) % coverage of IBA
- Psebaiskiy Zakaznik (IV) 100
1924 Kavkazsky Zapovednik (Ia) 5
1978 Kavkazskiy UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve (UA) 5
1999 Western Caucasus World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) (UA) 21

Habitats

Habitat % of IBA Habitat detail
Forest 35 Broadleaved deciduous woodland; Native coniferous woodland
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) 30
Grassland 20 Alpine, subalpine and boreal grassland
Shrubland 10 Scrub
Wetlands (inland) 5 Rivers and streams

Land use

Land use % of IBA
agriculture 100
nature conservation and research 100


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lower Urushten river (Russia (European)). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lower-urushten-river-iba-russia-(european) on 23/12/2024.