• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as important in 2010 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
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus	LC	winter	-	200-500 individuals	A4i
Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina	LC	winter	-	2,000-6,000 individuals	A4i
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	LC	winter	-	400-8,000 individuals	A4i
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug	EN	breeding	-	2-6 breeding pairs	A1
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter	-	25,000-80,000 individuals	A4iii

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2010) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2010. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Biological resource use	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1948	Issyk-Kul	State Nature Reserve	50
1976	Isyk-Kul State Reserve with the Lake Isyk-Kul	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	100
2001	Issyk Kul	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve	100

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Wetlands (inland)	Standing fresh water, Water-fringe vegetation	63
Shrubland	Low bushes	24
Desert	Desert & semi-desert - stony	6
Artificial/Terrestrial	Forestry plantations	5

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	50
hunting	20

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Western Issyk Kul Lake (Kyrgyzstan). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/western-issyk-kul-lake-iba-kyrgyzstan on 23/11/2024.