Ogurjaly island (22128)
Turkmenistan, Central Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Ogurjaly island
Central coordinates: Latitude: 38.9548, Longitude: 53.5017
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): -27 to -18
Area of KBA (km2): 74.50457
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This is the most western IBA in Turkmenistan and in Central Asia. It is situated on Ogurja island 35 km to the south of Hazar. The island is located in the Turkmenbashy district of Balkan region. The site includes Ogurja island and is a sandy strip 40 km length, running north-south, and up to 2 km wide. The area of land is c6,000 hectares, the area of adjoining water is 1,500 hectares. The island is the border between the Turkmen gulf and the Caspian Sea. The nearest distance to the South-Cheleken mainland spit is c15 km. The coast of the island is low and smooth. There is a small bay facing east on the northern tip. The western coast, on the sea side, is a sandy beach, with small lagoons in places. When there is a strong wind all of the beach stays underwater. The island's landscape consists of ridges and hills of fixed and semi-fixed sands with patches of shelly soil in the inter-ridge and inter-dune depressions. The vegetation is herbs with ephemerals and sparse short bushes of Salsola spp., Tamarix sp. and Nitraria sp.
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 island is favourable for colonial nesting gulls and terns. Until the 1990s the island supported up to 20,000 pairs of Yellow-legged Gull and 200 pairs of Great Black-headed Gull - this represents approximately 4% and 0.5% of their current biogeographical populations. A significant number of shorebirds and other waterbirds, Passeriformes and some species of Falconiformes migrate over the island. There is also an isolated resident population of Alectoris chukar. Non-bird biodiversity: In the beginning of the 1980s some tens of Gazella subgutturosa were brought to the island. Their number increased and at the beginning of the 1990s reached 2,000 individuals. But at present the number is not more than 600 individuals. Caspian Seal - unique to Central Asia - uses the island’s coasts, mainly the west, but numbers have decreased dramatically.
Other site values: State.
Habitats
Land use: military (25%) | nature conservation and research (55%) | rangeland/pastureland (10%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 20 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 10 | |
| Desert | 70 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Poaching; regular collection of gulls eggs; fishery activities; pollution by household refuse; military presence due to the island being situated in a border zone.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Nomadic grazing | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Work & other activities | Ongoing | |
| Pollution | Garbage & solid waste | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Panov Е.N., Zykova L.Yu. (1987). Influence ecologically and social factors to reproductive success at great black-headed gull (Larus ichthyaetus). Zoological magazine, Vol.66, Issue 6: 883-894. (in russian). Panov Е.N., Zykova L.Yu., Grabovsky V. I (1990). Nesting biology, behavior and taxonomy of Larus cachinnans. 1. Spatial structure and behavioral aspects of nested biology. Zoological magazine, Vol.69, Issue.12: 92-104. (in russian).