Data Zone
The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2007 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 List | Season (year/s of estimate) | Size | IBA criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pallas's Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes paradoxus | LC | resident (2001–2006) | < 50 birds | A3 |
| Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo | LC | breeding (2001–2006) | 10–20 birds | A3 |
| Great Bustard Otis tarda | EN | passage (2001–2006) | 250-999 birds | A1 |
| Asian Houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii | VU | breeding (2005–2006) | 350–450 birds | A1, A3 |
| Greater Sandplover Charadrius leschenaultii | LC | breeding (2001–2006) | common | A3 |
| Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus | LC | breeding (2001–2006) | 20–50 birds | A3 |
| Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius | CR | breeding (2003) | 1 pairs | A1, A3 |
| Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca | VU | breeding (2001–2006) | 10 birds | A1, A3 |
| European Roller Coracias garrulus | LC | breeding (2001–2006) | unknown | A1 |
| Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis | LC | breeding (2001–2006) | < 50 | A3 |
| Sykes's Warbler Iduna rama | LC | breeding (2001–2006) | abundant | A3 |
| Asian Desert Warbler Curruca nana | LC | breeding (2001–2006) | abundant | A3 |
| Desert Finch Rhodospiza obsoleta | LC | breeding (2001–2006) | abundant | A3 |
| Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps | LC | breeding (2001–2006) | abundant | A3 |
Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2017) is shown below.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2017 | good | low | high |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| yes | habitat | good | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Actual vs Reference (units) | % remaining | Result | ||
| Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea | 15 / 15 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Mallard Anas platyrhynchos | 10 / 10 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis | 25 / 4,000 (mature individuals) | 1 | very poor | ||
| Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax | 15 / 50 (mature individuals) | 30 | very poor | ||
| Great Bustard Otis tarda | 6 / 200 (mature individuals) | 3 | very poor | ||
| Little Owl Athene noctua | 20 / 1 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus | 4 / 1 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Eurasian Eagle-owl Bubo bubo | 2 / 1 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Short-toed Snake-eagle Circaetus gallicus | 2 / 1 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis | 2 / 20 (pairs) | 10 | very poor | ||
| Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos | 7 / 20 (pairs) | 35 | very poor | ||
| Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus | 3 / 1 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus | 8 / 1 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus | 40 / 1 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus | 40 / 1 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Saker Falcon Falco cherrug | 7 / 30 (pairs) | 24 | very poor | ||
| State (condition of the trigger species' habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat | Quantity (% remaining) | Quality (% carrying capacity) | Result |
| Desert | good (>90%) | good (>90%) | good |
| Forest | good (>90%) | good (>90%) | good |
| Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Biological resource use | happening now | whole of population/area (>90%) | no or slight decline (<1% over 3 generations) | low |
| Agricultural expansion and intensification | happening now | most of population/area (50–90%) | no or slight decline (<1% over 3 generations) | low |
| Natural system modifications | happening now | few individuals/small area (<10%) | no or slight decline (<1% over 3 generations) | low |
| Transportation and service corridors | happening now | few individuals/small area (<10%) | no or slight decline (<1% over 3 generations) | low |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation | A comprehensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species | The conservation measures needed for the site are being comprehensively and effectively implemented | high |
| Year | Protected Area | Designation (management category) | % coverage of IBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Zhusandala | State Reservation (-) | 100 |
| Habitat | % of IBA | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Desert | 95 | Desert & semi-desert - salty; Desert & semi-desert - sandy |
| Shrubland | 5 | |
| Forest | minor (<10) | Wooded desert & semi-desert |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| agriculture | 100 |
| nature conservation and research | 100 |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Zhusandala (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/zhusandala-iba-kazakhstan on 23/12/2024.