Current view: Text account
Site description (2006 baseline):
Site location and context
Territory includes high mountainous lake Son-Kul and coastal wetland areas
Criterion A1 is applied to the site because of Black stork, Bar-headed goose, Saker falcon, Demoiselle crane, birds of prey: Bearded and Himalayan vultures, Golden eagle, are in Red List of Kyrgyzstan.
Criterion A4iii is applied because of waterfowl and waterbirds that use lake during migration and molting. Also here is the breeding colony of Black-headed gull and the highest mountainous breeding population of Demoiselle crane.The lake is one of the breeding sites of Bar-headed goose, Black stork and large raptors. Ruddy shelduck and waders are concentrated here during the passage and molting. Site hosts 190 bird species.
Non-bird biodiversity: Territory hosts more than 30 species of mammals such as Grey marmot, Fox, Wolf, Argali and Siberian Ibex. The Lake is home for 7 species of fish. Plant life presented here is ca. 300 species of plants mainly different species of sedges and fescue, reedmace and others along the shores.
Current status of ecosystems is satisfaying but an increased number of live stock population will result overgrazing and lead to degradation of pastures. The main factor of disturbance is fishing. Because of the disturbance the numbers of Bar-headed goose decreased from 30-40 breeding pairs to 1-2 breeding pairs
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Agricultural intensification (A), fishing and havresting aquatic resources (B), human disturbance (A), shifting agriculture (B)
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Conservation work is conducted by rangers of Karatal-Japyryk reserve. Research work is conducted poorly.
Sites of reserve are protected only in summer time
Data-sheet compiled 29-09-2006 by S. V. Kulagin (NABU), received by BirdLife Cambridge May 2008, translated by Tsovinar Hovhannisyan in summer 2010, entered into WBDB by Rory McCann in autumn 2010.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Son-Kul Lake (Kyrgyzstan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/son-kul-lake-iba-kyrgyzstan on 22/11/2024.
