Lower Anadyr lowlands (16596)
Russia (Asian), Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Lower Anadyr lowlands
Central coordinates: Latitude: 63.8645, Longitude: 177.7553
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 2 to 50
Area of KBA (km2): 8263.95097
Protected area coverage (%): 35.94
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The estuary with its surrounding coastal plains lie along the coast of Anadyr Bay 25 miles (40 km) south of the city of Anadyr, capital of the Chukotka Autonomous District (64° 10' N; 178° 15' E).
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: These vast, relatively undisturbed wetland complexes are best known for their significant populations of migrating, nesting and molting greater white-fronted geese, emperor geese, brant, bean geese, lesser sandhill cranes, spoon-billed sandpipers, and Aleutian terns. Nesting emperor geese approach 10 percent of their Asian population. The largest brant nesting colony in Asia inhabits Strela Spit with several thousand molting brant favoring Russkaya Koshka Spit. Coastal lagoons in the Tumanskiy refuge are especially important to aggregations of molting common eiders and greater scaup. Nesting whooper swans occur sporadically. There are nesting colonies of Aleutian terns on Zemlya Geka Spit. The combination of tundra-nesting species includes common and king eiders, long-tailed ducks, northern pintails, black scoters, Pacific golden-plovers, dunlins, gray plovers, red and red-necked phalaropes, and Temminck’s stints. The most abundant shorebirds on favored littoral and river-spit habitats in migration include dunlins, rufous-necked stints, red knots, gray plovers and long-billed dowitchers. Shorebird aggregations attract predatory peregrine falcons in summer. Other notable wildlife: Beluga whales, harbor porpoise, and ringed, spotted and bearded seals follow fish runs into the major rivers. The Siberian salamander occurs here at the periphery of its range.
Other site values: The two active zakazniks are under the jurisdiction of the district government with marine waters federally owned.
Delineation rationale: 2014-08-12 (BL Secretariat): centroid coords adjusted to 63°51'52'N 177°45'19'E and site area changed to (or confirmed as) 826430 ha (rounded), on basis of refined polygon downloaded from Spatial Database on Important Bird Areas of Russia 2014 (© Russian Bird Conservation Union, © Transparent World).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Estuary waters are bordered by coastal lagoons, marshes, sedge meadows, shingle beaches and sand spits. Tussock tundra with dwarf shrub-sedge-cottongrass and lichen communities predominate on the alluvial plains and piedmont areas. Wetland complexes consist of polygonal sphagnum bogs interspersed with numerous lakes, marshes, streams and rivers.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Intertidal | 5 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 32 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 32 | |
| Grassland | 32 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Oil development is being promoted in bird habitats of the Tundroviy refuge by the district administration with little apparent regard to its biodiversity values. Poaching can be a problem from time to time, especially in spring.
Additional information
References: Audubon Alaska / BirdLife Asia / RBCU (2004) Important Bird Areas of the Bering Sea ecoregion. Anchorage, USA: Audubon Alaska. 46 pp.
Contributors: The map polygon is provided courtesy of the Spatial Database on Important Bird Areas of Russia 2014 (© Russian Bird Conservation Union, © Transparent World).