Gori Gol (8067)
Iran, Islamic Republic of, Middle East

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1c

Year of last assessment: 1994

National site name: Gori Gol

Central coordinates: Latitude: 37.9167, Longitude: 46.7000

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 1950 to 1950

Area of KBA (km²): 5.26714

Protected area coverage (%): 99.94

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Lake Gori is a fresh to brackish, eutrophic lake lying at 1,950 m on the north side of the main Tabriz--Tehran highway, c.40 km east-south-east of Tabriz. It is fed by local rainfall, springs and small streams, receiving the bulk of its water after the spring snow-melt, and overflows at its north-east corner into a small stream; there is little fluctuation in water level. The bottom is a mud deposit on shale and rocks. The lake is generally frozen by late December and remains so, often under deep snow, all winter. There are extensive areas of Phragmites, Juncus, Carex and Scirpus around the shore and abundant underwater vegetation. The surrounding area is semi-arid steppe with one small settlement and wheat cultivation on the west and damp grassland on the south-west. Sport fishing, grazing, reed-cutting and wildfowl hunting occur.

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: See box for key species. An important site for breeding waterfowl, notably Podiceps nigricollis and Oxyura leucocephala, and the only known breeding locality in Iran for Podiceps grisegena; Pelecanus onocrotalus occurs in some years, presumably feeding birds from Lake Uromiyeh. Other breeding species include Fulica atra (1,500-2,000 birds) and Himantopus himantopus (50-100 birds). A wide variety of waterfowl occurs on passage, especially Anas querquedula and Fulica atra, and including Tadorna tadorna and T. ferruginea, but the lake has no value for wintering waterfowl as it is completely frozen for most of the winter. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Habitats

Land use: hunting | nature conservation and research (100%) | tourism/recreation

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Wetlands(Inland)	100

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The lake was designated a Ramsar Site in 1975, but no conservation measures are known to have been proposed. Although unprotected, the area is under the supervision of the Department of the Environment. Lying by a main road and so close to Tabriz, it is used intensively for recreation, including shooting, which causes considerable disturbance to breeding waterbirds.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Persecution/control	Ongoing
Human intrusions & disturbance	Recreational activities		Ongoing

Additional information