Terenkol Lake (22053)
Kazakhstan, Central Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1d, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Terenkol Lake
Central coordinates: Latitude: 54.4000, Longitude: 69.2083
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 133 to 133
Area of KBA (km2): 8.35826
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site is located in the central part of the Northern Kazakhstan region, very close to the major interregional motorway from Astana and Kokchetav, approximately midway between Astrakhanka and Rublyovka. The lake is 65 km to the south of the regional centre of Petropavlovsk, close to Aralagash village. The lake lies in the outer southern section of the large Smirnovsky State Nature Preserve, and is part of the expansive lake country of the southern West-Siberian Lowlands. The major landscape type is forest-steppe. About half a century ago, the region was subject to agricultural development with more than half of the virgin mesophylic steppe being ploughed and cultivated. As a result, nowadays the majority of the land around the lake is crop fields. The remaining fragments of steppe and a few low-lying meadow plots are used as pasture. Despite its small size, the lake is important as an intermediary resting site for large numbers of migrating waterfowl, a situation assisted by the closeness of the crops providing good feeding and by the relative protection provided by the Reserve status.
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: Owing to its ecological characteristics, geographical location and the surrounding agriculture, the moderately sized Terenkol lake has always been a reliable stop-over site for many hundreds of thousands of migrating waterbirds crossing the region. In addition to the occurrence of several globally threatened or rare species (Branta ruficollis, Melanitta fusca, Cygnus cygnus, Anser erythropus, Haliaeetus albicilla, Casmeroides albus and Grus grus), the site is extremely important for the very large number of common waterfowl it supports, many of which are intensively exploited by man as quarry species and the site provides an important refuge for maintaining huntable populations. The site is also important for diurnal birds of prey, the commonest being: Circus cyaneus, Circus aeruginosus, Milvus migrans and Buteo buteo. Aquila chrysaetos occurs in summer and, especially, autumn. A recent attempt (2007) at verification of the appropriateness of conferring the A4iii criterion to the site, especially for Anser albifrons, experienced a setback due to unseasonal meteorological conditions. A protracted spell of mild weather resulted in geese passing straight through the region, rather than pausing to roost and feed. Non-bird biodiversity: The mammal fauna around the site appears to be poorly diversified, with murine rodents being the most numerous and including Apodemus agrarius and Microtus arvalis, with, in the wet habitats, Ondatra zibethica and Arvicola terrestris. Erinaceus europaeus, Vulpes vulpes, Lepus timidus, Lepus europaeus and Mustela eversmanni are also often encountered. Cervus elaphus sibiricus, Sus scrofo nigripes, Vulpes corsac and Martes martes also occur. The dominant emergent vegetation is Phragmites australis which occurs in some areas together with Typha angustifolia and Scirpus lacustris. Some muddy shoals are dominated by Carex sp. A few plots of steppe landscape, featuring an assortment of rich-herbage-motley-turf-grass associations consisting mostly of Stipa zalesskii, Festuca valesiaca, Phleum phleoides, Filipendula stepposa, Veronica spuria and Onobrychis sibirica still remain. The isolated stands of deciduous forest comprise, in the major part, of a few species of birch (including Betula verrucosa and B. pubescens) and aspen, with an understorey of Rosa sp.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The majority of the land adjacent to the lake is used for local agriculture, either crops, or small scale cattle grazing or hay production. Due to its reservation status the site is not assigned to any hunting collective. There is no fishing.
Land use: agriculture (27%) | nature conservation and research (100%) | rangeland/pastureland (15%) | urban/industrial/transport (1%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 50 | |
| Forest | 5 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 45 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The transformation of the steppe to agriculture has affected bird populations in two ways: birds, especially Anser anser, Anser albifrons, Anser erythropus, Branta ruficollis and Anas platyrhynchos, now utilise the scattered grain on the surrounding fields, but there is disturbance from frequent stubble fires and regular agricultural activities. Illegal hunting probably reduces the number of waterfowl that could use the site but pressure is considerably lower than it could be because of the protected status of the site.
Additional information
References: 1. Ryabintsev V.K (2001) Birds of Ural with adjacent territories and of Western Siberia. Ekaterinburg. Publishing of the Ural University. (in Russian) 2. Vilkov V.S. (2005) Birds of Northern Kazakhstan Region. Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan: Publishing of the Northern Kazakhstan Region State University. (in Russian) 3. Gubin S.V. (2004) Revision of Ornithofauna of Northern Kazakhstan Region. (Not published).