Sharga Lake (28313)
Mongolia, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Sharga Lake
Central coordinates: Latitude: 48.9167, Longitude: 101.9500
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1334 to 1334
Area of KBA (km2): 21.16832
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site is composed of a lake located in a beautiful valley. There is also a small shallow lake, rich in aquatic vegetation, separated by a narrow spit from the main lake. Many small pools are found along the western side of the lake. There is a high cliff along the southern shore of the lake. The north and northwestern shores of the lake have many peninsulas and inlets with good aquatic vegetation. The southern shore is sandy with fine gravel. The surrounding area is grassy steppe, where the main land use is livestock husbandry. There are no obvious potential threats to the site.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: Globally Threatened species occurring at Sharga Lake include Swan Goose Anser cygnoides (EN), Saker Falcon Falco cherrug (EN), Lesser Kestrel F. naumanni (VU) and Pallas’s Fish-eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus (VU). Thousands of ducks and grebes use the site during migration, including Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis. A recent count of 432 Black-necked Grebes exceeds 1% of the flyway population. The most common ducks at the site comprise Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, Common Pochard Aythya ferina and Greenwinged Teal Anas crecca. Non-bird biodiversity: No information on other fauna and fl ora is available.