Data Zone
Country/territory: Kazakhstan
IBA criteria met: A1 (2006)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 790,825 hectares (7,908.25 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2014 | moderate | high | medium |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2006 baseline)
The IBA covers the very western and most gentle “chink” (cliff) of the vast Ustyurt Plateau, extending to the Mertvyi Kultuk saltmarsh (Mangystau and Beyneu districts). The site consists of a limestone-gypsum desert plateau and neighbouring plains with steep cliffs. The surface of the plateau is slightly undulating clay northern desert with fragments of semidesert. The vegetation is mainly Artemisia-Salsola associations. Below is the vast Mertvyi Kultuk saltmarsh which is now under water and a sea bay created by the rising level of the Caspian Sea.
Key biodiversity
The IBA holds a complex of species of the northern desert, with a high density of raptors.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Western cliff faces of the Ustyurt Plateau (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/western-cliff-faces-of-the-ustyurt-plateau-iba-kazakhstan on 25/12/2024.