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Site description (2008 baseline):

The IBA is situated in the south-eastern part of the Kyzylkum desert far from any settlements. It is located 50 km north-west of the district centre of Nurata, in Navoiyskaya province, and 60 km to the north-north-west of the district centre of Yangikishlak, in Djizakskaya province. The area includes islands, the shore zone (varying in width from 500 m to some kilometres), bays and surrounding desert (again varying in width from 500 m to 3.5 km). The IBA is covers the northern shore of the lake and adjoining desert from 500-700m to 2,5-3,5 km wide. Aydarkul lake is the largest waterbody in the Aydar-Arnasay lake system. The lake formed in 1969 as a result of emergency water evacuation from the Chardara water reservoir. At present it is fed by water from Tuzkan lake and Arnasay water reservoir. The total area of the lake is 2,020 km2, its length is about 140 km (aligned west to east), and its width is 25-27 km. The average depth is 12m, maximum depth is up to 30m. The shores are gently sloping and strongly indented with many narrow, shallow bays, isolated small lakes with tugai vegetation and reed. Some lakes are up to 15-20% overgrown. The lake freezes but not annually. Freezing-over can occur from December-January until March. Mineralization is low near the Arnasay inflow but high in the western part of the lake. The shoreline desert has a good growth of young Halaxylon persicum, Ammodendron cannolyi, tamarisk and Karelinia sp. in hollows. Aydarkul is included in the list of waterbodies of regional importance - Agreement about conservation and use of migrating species of birds and mammls and their habitats (МЭС, Agreement А.25 from 09.09.1994).

According to the literature and IBA survey data about 220 species of 14 orders have been recorded since th 1970s. Aydarkul lake is the largest area of habitat for more than 100 species of waterbirds in the region. There are 13 species included on the International Red List, 10 of them connected directly with wetlands. 24 species are included in the National Red Data Book, 10 species are included on Appendix I and 77 on Appendix II of the CMS. Aydarkul is located on the Central Asian flyway and is a concentration place for migrating and wintering waterbirds. It is a dominant waterbody in the boundary zone between cold and warm wintering grounds. 192,000 birds of 37 species were recorded during aerial counts in 2000, 32,000 of 43 species in 2004 (by foot count) and 24,000 of 72 species in 2007 (by foot count). According to Ramsar Convention criteria this waterbody has international significance as a stable wintering place and place of concentration for migrating waterbirds. The most numerous species are Fulica atra, Egretta alba, Netta rufina, Aythya ferina, Anas platyrhynchos, Phalacrocorax carbo and Anser anser. Birds with international protection status (IUCN RL) are Chlamydotis undulata, Pelecanus crispus, Oxyura leucocephala, Aythya nyroca, Aquila heliaca, Haliaeetus leucoryphus and Aegypius monachus. Phalacrocorax pygmaeus, Pelecanus onocrotalus, Pelecanus crispus, Cygnus olor, Cygnus cygnus, Aythya nyroca, Oxyura leucocephala, Milvus migrans, Aquila nipalensis, Aquila heliaca, Haliaeetus albicilla, Haliaeetus leucoryphus, Aegypius monachus and Larus ichthyaetus have national protection status and are included in the National RDB.

Non-bird biodiversity: Typical representatives of desert fauna occur: Varanus griseus, Testudo horsfieldi, Agamidae, Meriones meridianus, Rhombomys opimus, Spermophilopsis leptodactylus, Dipodidae, Lepus capensis tolai, Vulpes vulpes caragan, Vulpes corsac, Felis libyca and Felis chaus. Sus scrofa, Meles meles, ondatra and Myocastor coypu are representative of the wetlands. Numbers are generally stable and changes are not connected with human activities. Gazella subgutturosa has been regularly recorded recently. Threatened species include Alsophilax laevis, Varanus griseus, Testudo horsfieldi, Vulpes corsac, Gazella subgutturosa, and the plant Cousinia polimetica tschernea.

The site includes ridge-dune sands with well preserved and restored vegetation; small isolated lakes overgrown with shoreline vegetation; and thickets of desert (Haloxylon persicum, Populus ariana, P. proinosa, Alhagi psendalhagi, Ammodendron argentum, Astragalus amarus, Ferula caspica and others) and hydrophilic woody-shrubs and herbs on the shore and islands. Phragmites australis and Typha angustifolia grow along the shore, Potomogeton lucens, P. pectinatus, Myriophyllum spicatum and Ceratophyllum demersum grow in water up to 4 m deep. The shoreline is strongly indented strongly with bays and there are many islands, inaccessible to livestock (excluding wild horses) and people, which are covered with hydrophilic vegetation and provide good breeding, feeding and resting areas for birds. Woody-shrubby and grassy vegetation is well restored in the desert region. The site has good feeding and protection for breeding, migrating and wintering species. The area is state property and belongs to the water industry. It is used only for cattle grazing. Cattle graze near the farms and go to the lake to drink every day. This regime causes considerable harm to desert pastures and ponds. Much of the lake is rented to private fishing companies. The lake is influenced by the regulation of water evacuation from Tuzkan lake and the Arnasay lakes system. As a result of the construction of the Arnasay water reservoir freshwater no longer reaches Aydarkul. Therefore isolated lakes, shallows, marshes and salines are formed. If this process continues there is the real threat of heavy mineralization, resulting in the death of the lake.

One of the main threats is uncontrolled fishing. Fishermen use cheap low-quality gill-nets which become worthless after one season and abandon them on the shore or in the water. This is a serious threat for waterbirds, especially for diving birds. There are no nets available for fishing in depths of more than 3-4m and therefore nets are placed in the shallows and the immediate proximity of the shore, precisely the same places used for feeding by the majority of near-bottom feeding species of birds. The permanent presence of people (fishermen, herdsmen) is a big threat too. Hunting is not a large threat because all weapons were withdrawn from local hunters and the site is distant and difficult to access for city hunters. The main threat to the desert part of the IBA is overgrazing and degradation of the desert near farms, logging of woody-shrubby vegetation; and the occurrence of alien species such as Acridotheres tristis.

Winter counts were carried out in 2000 under a Ramsar Convention small grant. International winter counts of waterbirds were carried out in 2003-2006 as part of the WWF Russia and Wetlands International project "Working out the strategy for protection of waterfowl and wetlands on the Central Asia flyway". Winter surveys searching for possible Grus grus wintering areas were carried out in 2004 under the project "Ecological survey and monitoring of the Common Crane in wintering grounds in Southern Uzbekistan" under the supervision of the ICF. Aydarkul lake is supposed to be included in a biosphere reserve, as an area of sustainable development, by the GEF/UNDP/Republic of Uzbekistan project "Creation of Nuratau-Kizilkum biosphere reserve as a model of biodiversity conservation in Uzbekistan". The waterbody is very important for waterbirds during migration and in winter, and the adjoining desert is habitat for many biome-restricted species.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Northern shore of Aydarkul Lake (Uzbekistan). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/northern-shore-of-aydarkul-lake-iba-uzbekistan on 23/11/2024.