Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
A shallow stream- and spring-fed brackish lake (max. 9,350 ha, average winter depth 1 m) situated at the southern end of the Seyfe basin. The shoreline is flat and muddy, and the lake area decreases during summer. Arable fields are present to the south and west, with extensive steppe in the north and north-east. East of Kýzýldaðyeniyapan village are 1,500 ha of brackish-freshwater marsh. Twelve scrub- and grass-covered islands are present. Human activities include sheep- and cattle-grazing in the steppes to the north of the lake.
This site is important for a range of breeding waterbirds and for large numbers of wintering wildfowl. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Marmaronetta angustirostris (may breed).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
A DSI; project is underway to reduce the lake's area by diverting inflows. Steppes north and east of the lake will be reclaimed for agriculture, and most of the breeding islands and all of the brackish-freshwater marsh will disappear. Provisions will be made to divert water to the lake in times of drought, in theory creating a more stable lake area. Artificial breeding islands will be created. The ecological risks associated with the project are great, and a thorough environmental impact assessment has not been carried out.
National High
International Partial10,700 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Seyfe Gölu; 10,700 ha). 14,000 ha of IBA covered by SIT (Seyfe Gölu, 23,585 ha). 10,700 ha of IBA covered by Ramsar Site (Seyfe Gölu;, 10,700 ha). Steppes to the north of the lake are not adequately covered by any protection status.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Seyfe Lake (Türkiye). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/seyfe-lake-iba-türkiye on 22/11/2024.
