Akzhan Lake (22240)
Kazakhstan, Central Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Akzhan Lake
Central coordinates: Latitude: 54.1750, Longitude: 65.7000
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 173 to 179
Area of KBA (km2): 30.24955
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The lake is situated in Kostanai region, 30 km north-east of the district centre, Uzynkol (Leninskoye), in a natural hollow. Its northern and southern shores have a gentle flat relief, the eastern and western shores are sloping. The southern and eastern corners of the lake have a complicated shoreline with many small promontories, emergent and permanent bars; the remainder of the shoreline is smooth. There are two additional waterbodies to the north of the lake, Ortakol and an un-named lake. Both appear to be unsuitable for birds being small and shallow. Akzhan lake is subject to natural hydrological variations related to climate conditions: after winters with much snow the average depth reaches 3-3.5 m, compared with 1.5-2 m in dry years. As a rule, for 2-3 years immediately following high water levels, the lake is fresh. One small rivulet enters the lake in the southern part but its capacity seems to be inadequate for the sustaining optimal water levels. The fringing vegetation, Phragmites and Scirpus sp, is most developed along the southern and south-eastern shores. The main body of open water contains an impressive scattering of small reedbeds. Approximately 1-2 km from the western and eastern shorelines there are scattered isolated forest stands mixed Birch-Aspen. The majority of the land between these woody plots is crops. The most important local agricultural product is 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 lake is an important stop-over site for migrating waterbirds (being visited by no less than 50 species per season) with concentrations up to 40,000 birds. It also supports nesting and moulting populations of waterbirds: more than 5,000 pairs of 35 species of waterbirds are reckoned to breed and about 20,000, or more, birds moult. National Red Data Book species include: Pelecanus crispus, Cygnus cygnus, Branta ruficollis, Anser erythropus and Haliaeetus albicilla. The harvested fields surrounding the lake serve as the foraging areas for geese, swans, Philomachus pugnax and Numenius arquata. Interesting terrestrial breeding species include Lagopus lagopus, Lyrurus tetrix and Aquila heliaca. Non-bird biodiversity: The shores of the lake are frequented by a few large mammal species: Nyctereutes procyonoides, Meles meles, Vulpes vulpes and Capreolus capreolus.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Various economic activities take place around the lake: the most important are grazing and assocuated cattle-raising activities, hay production, and recently large scale wheat cultivation.
Land use: agriculture (15%) | fisheries/aquaculture (10%) | forestry (5%) | hunting | rangeland/pastureland (20%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 20 | |
| Forest | 5 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 59 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 15 | |
| Shrubland | 1 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main hazards are natural cycles in the hydrological regime, fishing (when water levels are high), illegal hunting (the lake is not officially assigned to a known hunting society) and disturbance linked to intensive cattle grazing.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Agro-industry farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Work & other activities | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Erokhov S.N. Species composition and numerical representation of water-birds on the water-bodies of Kostanai Region in spring-season of1997. The Report, 35 p. (in Russian) Erokhov S.N. et al. Anser erythropus and concomitant species in Kazakhstan during migration. Bulletin of the working group on Geese and Swans of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, “Kazarka (Brant-goose)”, #6, Moscow, 2006, P. 121-158. (in Russian) W.Cresswell , S. Yerokhov et al. Important wetlands in northern and eastern Kazakhstan. Wildfowl. (1999) 50: 181-194. (in English)