Zekry Lake (20652)
Uzbekistan, Central Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1c, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2006
National site name: Zekry Lake
Central coordinates: Latitude: 39.2505, Longitude: 64.6722
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 250 to 252
Area of KBA (km2): 15.04011
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This site is situated 30 km to the SE of Bukhara city. Zekry was formed in the beginning of the 1990s as a result of emergency evacuation of water from a drainage network to the naturally low sand desert. Currently it is a shallow reservoir with a gently sloping shore and well developed reedbeds. There are tamarisk bushes along the lakeside. The water is brackish and comes to the lake through the collector channel. The lake floods extensively during times of high waterlevels. The site is important for concentrations of migrating and wintering waterbirds.
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: During four winter counts 42 species were recorded including the globally endangered species - Pelicanus crispus, Aythya nyroca, Oxyura leucocephala and Aegypius monachus. Phalacrocoraх pygmaeus, Pelecanus crispus, Cygnus olor, Cygnus cygnus, Aythya nyroca, Оxуurа leucocephala, Haliaeetus albicilla, Aquila nipalensis and Larus ichthyaetus are included in the National Red Book. Fulica atra and Anser anser dominate wintering numbers in different years. Subdominant species are Aythya ferina, Netta rufina and Anas clypeata. Non-bird biodiversity: Jackal, Steppe Cat and Libyan Jird are common in the area. Fish include common carp, rudd, khramulya and zander. In the adjoining sand desert are Tolay hare, Great gerbil, Brandt's hedgehog, Corsac fox, Steppe tortoise, Desert monitor are Phrynocerhalus interscapularis. Desert monitor is included on the IUCN Red List. Plants are represented by typical desert associations.
Delineation rationale: Coordinates and area of this IBA were calculated with ArcGIS.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The most important habitat of the IBA is the vegetation of the littoral and riverside zone approximately 300m wide which occurs on saline land in places. There is commercial fishing on the lake. Cattle are grazed and bushes are cut on the adjoining territory. There is hunting of waterbirds in autumn.
Land use: agriculture (20%) | fisheries/aquaculture (40%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 5 | |
| Desert | 10 | |
| Shrubland | 5 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 80 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threat is an unstable hydrological regime. As result nests of waterbirds are flooded in the spring-summer period. The number of nesting birds is also decreasing during droughts. The hydrological regime does not affect wintering birds. There is a definite danger for the plants of the lakeside because of overgrazing by cattle which visit the site for drinking. The level of poaching is small.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Dams (size unknown) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: IWC National Data base (2003-2005) Wetland International IWC Data Base (2003-2005)