Muskinata (22118)
Turkmenistan, Central Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Muskinata
Central coordinates: Latitude: 42.2913, Longitude: 59.8370
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 76 to 80
Area of KBA (km2): 9.00353
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA is situated on the border between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan 25 km to the north-east of Boldumsaz and 50 km from Dashoguz. The site is a small tugai forest 'Muskinata' (901 ha) on the left bank of the Amudarya river. There is also tugai forest on the right bank of the Amudarya but this lies within Uzbekistan. An insignificant part of area is under agriculture (cotton, wheat).
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: The avifauna includes more than 200 species: resident - 16, nesting - 63, wintering - 30, passage - 113. The dominant groups are passerines, birds of prey, anseriformes and charadrii. Resident, passage and wintering species included in the International (IUCN) and National Red Data Books (Turkmenistan, 1999) are: Platelea leucorodia, Pandion haliaetus, Circaetus gallicus, Falco naumanni, Burhinus oedicnemus, Bubo bubo and Coracias garrulus. Non-bird biodiversity: About 80 species of spiders have been recorded. Among insects, bugs and butterflies are the most studied. The tugai forest is most important for ants and carabid beetles. In the crowns of trees weevils are numerous. Amphibians are green toad and lake frog. More than 20 species of Reptiles have been noted, mostly found on the fringes of the forest. The most numerous are Agrionemys horsfieldi, Trapelus sanguinolentus, Phrynocephalus interscapularis, Eremias grammica and Psammophis lineolatus. Mammals - 40 species: insectivores - 4, chiropterans - 5, Lagomorpha - 1, rodents - 17, predators - 12 and ungulates - 1. The majority of the IBA are floodplain ecosystems. More than 80 species of plant have been recorded in the tugai forest, with 12 species being common. Two species of poplar – Populus pruinosa and P. euphratica - plus Elaeagnus turcomanica, Salix songarica, Tamarix, Halimodendron halodendron, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Phragmites australis, Erianthus ravennae, Trachomitum scabrum and Aeluropus littoralis. Woody-shrubby and high-grass vegetation creates a dense understorey in the tugai forest.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The area is mainly used for grazing. The border part of the site is occupied by agricultural fields and connected with them by an irrigation system.
Land use: agriculture (5%) | forestry (20%) | military (5%) | rangeland/pastureland (50%) | tourism/recreation (5%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 10 | |
| Forest | 85 | |
| Shrubland | 5 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Only in the past and unlikely to return |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Dementyev G. P., Kartashov N.N., Tashliyev A.O. (1956) The materials on fauna terraneous vertebrates of Northeast Turkmenistan. Academy of Science TSSR. Vol. IV. p. 77–119. (in russian). Rustamov A.K. (1958) Birds of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Proceedings of the Turkmen Academy of Sciences TSSR, Volume 2. 333p. (in russian). Rajapov M. R. (1999) Red Data Book of Turkmenistan. Volume 1. Invertebrates and vertebrate animals. Ashgabat.Turkmenistan. (in russian). Strelkov P.P., Sosnovtseva V. P., Babayev H.B. (1978) Bats (Chiroptera) in Turkmenistan. Functional morphology and systematisation of mammals. Leningrad, p. 3-71. (in russian). Soloha A.V. (1991) The report about research work “the Pheasant in Turkmenistan”. Аshgabat. (in russian). Kuchuruk V., Tashlyev A.O. (1995) Mammals of Turkmenistan. Vol.1, Аshgabat,Ylym. (in russian). Kuchuruk V. (2005) Lagomorpha and rodents of deserts of Central Asia. Мoscow. GEOS. 328 p. (in russian).