Tyulen’i (Seal) Islands (21941)
Kazakhstan, Central Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Tyulen’i (Seal) Islands
Central coordinates: Latitude: 44.9167, Longitude: 50.3667
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): -26 to -24
Area of KBA (km2): 1584.14616
Protected area coverage (%): 83.75
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA consists of an archipelago of 7 islands dispersed over an area of c. 52 x 28 km, in the north-eastern part of the Caspian Sea, to the north of the Tiup-Karagan promontory and extending westerwards towards Mangyshlak Bay. The largest island in the group, the elongated and sickle-shaped Kulaly Island, 25 km in length and 2 km in width, is largely semi-desert, with a negligible amount of grass growth. The western shore is an exposed, sandy area; the eastern (leeward) side consists of creeks, coves and bays, with all of the littoral overgrown with reeds. There are two state service establishments on the island: a meteorological observatory and a border guards’ post. The other islands of the archipelago – Morskoy, Rybachy, Novy, Podgorny and two without names – are predominantly extensively waterlogged areas with solid reed overgrowth. The configuration of the shoreline and amount open ground of the islands are determined by the current water levels.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: The archipelago supports very large numbers of breeding Sterna sandvicensis. Tens of thousands of waterfowl use the islands for resting during migration. The most numerous species are Fulica atra, Anas penelope, Anas strepera, Anas crecca, Anas plathyrhynchos, Anas acuta, Anas clypeata, Netta rufina, Aythya ferina and Aythya fuligula. Waders, gulls, terns and Passerines also occur in significant numbers. The islands also support significant populations of Cygnus olor and Egretta alba. Non-bird biodiversity: The Tiulen’y Islands support good numbers of Caspian Seal. In winter the area is frequented by wolves and jackals which often stay all summer.
Habitats
Land use: military (5%) | nature conservation and research (100%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 90 | |
| Desert | 10 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: There is incidental disturbance from the activities of the service-related staff. More serious are the effects of climatic changes and the alteration of the water level regime within the Caspian.
Additional information
References: 1. Kovalenko A.V. Observations on the birds of the Waters of North-Eastern Caspian Sea in 2003 Kazakhstan Ornithological Bulletin of 2003. Almaty, 2004. P. 34-36. (in Russian) 2 Kovalenko A. V. Observation on birds at North-Eastern Caspian Sea in the Tiulen’y Islands’ and Tiup-Karagan promontory’s areas Kazakhstan Ornithological Bulletin of 2004. Almaty, 2005. P. 10-11. (in Russian)