Lake Kobi (8072)
Iran, Islamic Republic of, Middle East

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1c, A1d, D1a

Year of last assessment: 1994

National site name: Lake Kobi

Central coordinates: Latitude: 36.9500, Longitude: 45.5000

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 1290 to 1290

Area of KBA (km²): 36.96736

Protected area coverage (%): 99.99

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Lake Kobi (Ghopi Bob Ali) is a shallow, eutrophic, fresh to brackish lake with seasonally flooded marshes, on the plains 30 km south of Lake Uromiyeh and c.25 km north-east of Mahabad. The wetland receives its water from local rainfall, several springs, seepages and temporary watercourses fed by snow-melt, overflowing when full into marshland to the north and west. It regularly freezes in winter. The lake supports abundant submerged vegetation; there are extensive sedge marshes around much of the shore, and Phragmites beds occur in the south and to the north-west, together with some grassland. The whole area is surrounded by rolling steppic hills, with scattered settlements and cultivation to the north and south. Grazing of livestock and wildfowl hunting occur. Land ownership is public.

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. The marshes support a variety of breeding waterfowl, notably Nycticorax nycticorax, Ardeola ralloides, Egretta garzetta, Plegadis falcinellus and Aythya nyroca, and there was a breeding colony of Podiceps nigricollis at the lake in 1972. The lake is an extremely important staging area for ducks, Fulica atra and shorebirds in autumn, regularly holding in excess of 100,000 birds. Species in especially high numbers have included Phoenicopterus ruber, Anas querquedula, A. clypeata, Aythya ferina and F. atra. Large numbers of ducks and F. atra stay on through very mild winters when the lake remains unfrozen. However the figures for F. atra given below date from the 1970s, and in recent years less than 2,000 have been recorded, a major decline. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Habitats

Land use: hunting | nature conservation and research (100%) | rangeland/pastureland

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Artificial - Terrestrial	10
Wetlands(Inland)	89
Grassland	1

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The lake was designated a Ramsar Site in 1975, but there is no legal protection. No threats to the site are known.

Additional information