Tassuat Lake (19959)
Kazakhstan, Central Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1d
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Tassuat Lake
Central coordinates: Latitude: 49.8417, Longitude: 71.3000
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 416 to 416
Area of KBA (km2): 35.90325
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Tassuat Lake is situated in 14 km to NW from Tsherbakovsky village of Nurinsky district. Surrounding landscape - hilly plane with depressions with lakes and salt-marshes, steppe and meadow (in depressions) vegetation, bushes (Caragana, Rosa, Lonicera). Height of hills is up to 70 m. Soils are clays and loams. The lake is salt; area - 1650 ha., length - 7.6 km, maximum width - 2.6 km, depth - up to 2.0 m, volume of water mass - 8 million cubic metres, area of water collection - 67 square km. Area of reedbeds - about 650 hectares. More than 20,000 waterfowl are observed here during passage.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: 80 species of waterfowl, waders, gulls, terns were registered here breeding and on passage. During autumn passage, more than 20,000 waterfowl are observed regularly. The main migrating species are: Anser erythropus, Anser anser, Anas strepera, Anas crecca, Anas platyrhynchos, Anas clypeata, Aythya ferina, Calidris minuta, Calidris alpina etc. Of the rare species - Anser erythropus is common (tens and hundreds) on autumn passage. In the breeding season, there are typical birds of the steppe wetlands of Kazakhstan: besides waterbirds, 25 species of passerines, some raptors etc. Non-bird biodiversity: Around the lake, there is a typical steppe landscape with grass and some bushes. Of mammals, there are Canis lupus, Vulpes vulpes, Vulpes corsac, Meles meles, different rodents (jerboas, voles etc.), marmot etc. Of reptiles - Lacerta agilis, Vipera ursini, of fishes Carassius brama.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: North bank is used for arable, and all lake for fisheries.
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | hunting
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 95 | |
| Shrubland | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Arable on the north bank comes up to the shore-line and causes a large disturbance to breeding birds, and destruction of breeding sites. Fisheries area also a disturbance factor.