Eastern Alai (27423)
Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b
Year of last assessment: 2017
National site name: Eastern Alai
Central coordinates: Latitude: 39.5000, Longitude: 73.0000
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 2700 to 4000
Area of KBA (km2): 2947.79411
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Terrain: semi-desert and desert and mountain valleys with sagebrush and the mountain-xerophilic vegetation, and at lower altitudes, with ephemeral vegetation. Meadow and meadow-steppe areas of the upper parts of slopes. Juniper and spruce forest with mosaic patches.
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. KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Mountains of Central Asia Hotspot (2017). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat category follow the 2016 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: Biogeographical territories are linked through the Tarim basin. Criterion A1 is applied to the site because of Snow pigeon (Columba leuconota) – the only localized place for species in Central Asia, breeding Barbary falcon (Falco pelegrinoides), Saker falcon (Falco cherrug) and Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gys himalayensis). Criterion A3 is applied to the site because of a number of species: Plain Mountain Finch (Leucosticte nemoricola), White-tailed Rubythroat (Luscinia pectoralis), Red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and others. Non-bird biodiversity: Range-restricted species: Eremias yarkandensis, Alactaga sp.
Delineation rationale: This site contains the 2005 AZE site Alai Valley (39°30'N 73°00'E; 3300 m), which was delisted in 2010. 2014-03-11 (BL Secretariat): a site area of 10495 ha was calculated by GIS from the site polygon, then rounded to the nearest 10% (10000 ha).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Construction of the railway China-Uzbekistan. Possible degradation of natural landscapes of mountain valley
Land use: forestry (10%) | hunting (30%) | military (2%) | tourism/recreation (2%) | urban/industrial/transport (2%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 20 | |
| Shrubland | 20 | |
| Desert | 38 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 2 | |
| Grassland | 20 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Fires (C), logging (C), industry/urbanisation (A), selective logging (B)
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Features of the territorial distribution of birds of Alai valley.// Problems of Geography of Kyrgyzstan. Frunze p. 174-148. Ivanov, A. I. (1969) Birds of Pamir-Alai.// Leningrad. 448 p. Kumushaliev, B. K. (1980) Towards the study Columbidae of Alai valley.// Biology of animals and plants and environmental conservation. Frunze p.34-35.
Contributors: Data-sheet compiled in 2006 by V. K. Eremchenko, received by BirdLife Cambridge May 2008, translated by Tsovinar Hovhannisyan in summer 2010, entered into WBDB by Rory McCann in autumn 2010.