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The site was identified as important in 2007 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 List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis	EN	breeding	2007	2-4 breeding pairs	A3
Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca	VU	breeding	2007	3-6 breeding pairs	A1, A3
Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus	LC	breeding	2007	180-210 breeding pairs	A4ii
Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus	NT	breeding	2007	2,200-2,600 breeding pairs	A1, A3
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	breeding	2007	280-300 breeding pairs	A1
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug	EN	breeding	2007	20-25 breeding pairs	A1

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2007) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2017) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo	1	1	individuals	100	favourable
Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax	1	1	individuals	100	favourable
Buteo rufinus	4	2	individuals	50	unfavourable
Short-toed Snake-eagle Circaetus gallicus	50	1	breeding pairs	2	very unfavourable
Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus	4	4	individuals	100	favourable
Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis	17	2	individuals	12	very unfavourable
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos	1	1	individuals	100	favourable
Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus	1	1	individuals	100	favourable
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug	25	1	breeding pairs	4	very unfavourable

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

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Natural system modifications	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Energy production and mining	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	low
Pollution	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant deterioration	low
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	negligible

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1971	Ulutauskiy	Zakaznik	4

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland	Steppes & dry calcareous	50
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	Inland cliffs	30
Shrubland	Low bushes	17
Desert	Desert & semi-desert - clay, Desert & semi-desert - salty	3
Forest	Broadleaved deciduous, Flood-plain	minor (<10)
Wetlands (inland)	Rivers & streams, Standing brackish & salt water, Temporary water bodies	minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
hunting	100
rangeland/pastureland	10

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ortau upland massif (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ortau-upland-massif-iba-kazakhstan on 23/11/2024.