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Site description (2008 baseline):

The lake Salmanykol is located in the east part of the Sypsynagashsky hollow, in 54 km to the southwest from the village Karamendy (Dokychaevka) and in 19 km to the northeast from village Razdolnoye. Kostanay-Karamendy-Razdolnoye-Bestau highway is passes in 200 m to the south from lake. The lake is located in the territory of the Naurzumsky district of Kostanaysky region.

Criterion A1 is the most proper for the lake. It is used for a group of waterbirds - Red-breasted Goose, Lesser White-fronted Goose, White-headed Duck, Whooper Swan.

So this lake serves as a habitat for a great number of waterbirds populations, including rare and protected species in spring and autumn periods of migrations.

The lake Salmanykol, in spite of its small size, is a place of spring and autumn congestions of migrating waterbirds and other species both nesting and northern migrating ones according to its ecological chracterisitcs. There inhabits some globally threatened species - Red-breasted Goose, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Whooper Swan, Steppe Eagle. Many species are important objects of sports hunting, for example, Greylag Goose, Greater White-fronted, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, and so they are needy in intensive protection. Eurasian Curlew and Steppe Eagle are meeting here, but their numerous are not enough for use of A3 criterion. 

Mammals are presented by numerous species, small rodents are background. The Russet ground squirrel, Southern Birch Mouse, Common Vole inhabit the sandy feather-grass steppe. The European Badger is observed in the lake depressions. Northern mole vole, Long-eared hedgehog, European Hare, and vermin are widespread, as well as predators such as Least weasel, Steppe Polecat, Corsac Fox, Red Fox, Grey Wolf.

The grassland and sandy - feather-grass steppe vegetation is well remained near the lakes. The licorice Glycyrrhiza bushes are being found on coast of lakes and steppe depressions.

The ground is located in the sparsely populated area – there is no permanent population on its territory. There is up to 10-15 a person (shepherds) in summertime. About 2,5 thousand inhabitants live in villages of Ulendy, Sholakkopa, Akbulak and Razdolnoye, located in 15-25 km.

Unstable hydrological regime typical for all lakes of a steppe zone with freshet type of a food is a factor causing the periodic changes in avifauna. Fires caused by casual handling, defective machinery, and possibly by premeditated burning, are the main threat to the steppe and coastal ecosystems as well as to birds nesting there. 

In September, 2005-2008 one - two day ornithological excursions were carried out when helding spring and autumn monitoring of flights of birds within the UNEP/GEF/ICF project «Development of flyways and wetlands for conservation of Siberian Crane and other waterbirds in Asia».

No

State - individual farmers.

1. Report: «Monitoring of autumn migration Siberian Crane and other globally threatened species of waterbirds on design sites and adjacent territories of Kostanaysky region in 2008 year» Forest and Hunting Committee of Ministry of Agriculture of Republic of Kazakhstan. Regional Project UNEP/GEF «Development of flyways and wetlands for conservation Siberian Crane and other waterbirds in Asia» in the Republic of Kazakhstan. ((in Russian)

2. Bragin, E.A., Bragin, T.M. (2002) Wetlands in system of natural complexes of Northern Kazakhstan. Overall performance and nature protection sense. p. 19-38 in T.M.Bragin, E.A.Bragin, an edition. The most important Wetlands of Northern Kazakhstan (within the Kostanaysky and western part North Kazakhstan regions). Moscow: Russian university (WWF series, publication 5). (in Russian)

3. Timoshenko A.J. Report: «An assessment of a condition of lakes, definition of influence of hunting on places of stops of a Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus) on spring flight in Kostanaysky area and adjacent territories in 2012» Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan. Astana 2012.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Salmanykol lake (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/salmanykol-lake-iba-kazakhstan on 25/12/2024.