Gurtli (22123)
Turkmenistan, Central Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Gurtli
Central coordinates: Latitude: 38.1743, Longitude: 58.3687
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 200 to 206
Area of KBA (km2): 14.21665
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA is a closed waterbody with sandy gently sloping banks, situated 5 km to the north-west of Ashgabat in the Ruhabat district of Akhal region. The IBA includes a water reservoir and adjoining shores. The reservoir was built in 1963 in the brackish Gurtli depression and obtains its water from the Karakumdarya river which is subject to seasonal flow regulation. The waterbody is 5 km long, 3.75 km wide and 4.36 m deep on average. The maximum depth is 7m and the water surface area is 80,000 hectares, with a shoreline length of 25 km. The shores are sandy, gently sloping, without any steep cliffs. There are plantations of deciduous and coniferous trees in places. In sheltered areas thickets of reed and tamarisk can be found. There is a recreation zone on the shore, attracting more than 200,000 people a year. There are beaches, a boathouse, a recreation department of a hunters and fishing society, rest houses and sport-health complexes. Hunting on the waterbody is banned and only amateur fishing is allowed. Fish fry are released from time to time to enrich the waterbody (100,000 fry were released in 2005). The climate is a dry hot summer and rather mild winter. Precipitation is lowest in July-August, highest in March-April. There is almost no snow. The average air temperature is 0.8C in January, +30.5C in July. The frost-free period is 232 days a year.
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 avifauna includes more 177 species, 43% are waterbirds. The most numerous are Passeriformes, Charadriidae, Anseriformes, Falconiformes and Lariidae. Fulica atra, Anas platyrhynchos, A. clypeata, A. crecca, A. querquedula, A. acuta, A.penelope and others, and some shorebirds and gulls are the most numerous during migration. The IBA is located on the flyway passing along the Kopetdag foothills. The spring movement of waterbirds is dynamic, with birds stopping to rest and feed. Migration begins in the middle of February and finishes at the end of March. The autumn migration is protracted with noticable peaks. Depending on weather conditions it begins at the end of September and finishes at the end of November. Species included in the Red Data Book of Turkmenistan (1999) recorded on the IBA: Plataea leucorodia, Pandion haliaetus, Falco peregrinus, Circaetus gallicus, Burhinus oedicnemus and resident Aquila chrysaetos and Bubo bubo. Non-bird biodiversity: There are more than 90 species of mammal, 32 of them are Rodents, 21 - Chiroptera, 22 – Carnivora, 7 – Insectivora, 2 – Artiodactyla and 1 - Lagomorpha. Common mammals are Rhombomys opimus, Meriones libycus, Spermophilopsis leptodactylus and Nesokia indica. Common reptiles are Natrix tesellata and Central Asian agama. Shore vegetation consists of thickets of reed (Phragmites australis) and Tamarix. Potamogeton pectinatus dominates the shallows and Myriophyllum the lake. There is a sparse cover of ephemerals on the fixed sandy shore (Calligonum, Salsola richteri, Epherda, Astragalus, Stipagrostis karelinii and others).
Other site values: State.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (5%) | fisheries/aquaculture (15%) | not utilised (10%) | tourism/recreation (30%) | water management (40%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 5 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 75 | |
| Desert | 10 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 10 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The IBA's ecosystems are considered to be in a rather good condition.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Nomadic grazing | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing | |
| Pollution | Garbage & solid waste | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Rajapov M. R (1999) Red Data Book of Turkmenistan. Volume 1. Invertebrates and vertebrate animals. Ashgabat.Turkmenistan. (in russian). Dementyev P.G. (1952) Birds of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Proceedings of the Turkmen Academy of Sciences TSSR, Volume 1. 546p.(in russian). Rustamov A.K. (1958) Birds of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Proceedings of the Turkmen Academy of Sciences TSSR, Volume 2. 333p. (in russian). Nurgeldyev O. N. (1969) Ecology of mammals of plain of Turkmenistan. Ashgabat. (russian). Kucheruk V. (2005) Lagomorpha and rodents of deserts of Central Asia. Мoscow, GEOS. (in russian). Kuchuruk V., Tashlyev A.O. (1995) Mammals of Turkmenistan. Vol.1, Ashgabat,Ylym. (in russian). Shammakov S. M. (1981) Reptile of plain of Turkmenistan. Ashgabat. (russian).