Nowruzlu and Ghazanlu (8073)
Iran, Islamic Republic of, Middle East

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 1994

National site name: Nowruzlu and Ghazanlu

Central coordinates: Latitude: 36.9167, Longitude: 46.1667

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 1260 to 1260

Area of KBA (km²): 26.11801

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: An area of undulating plains set at 1,260 m between ranges of stony hills on either side of the Zarrineh Rud, lying between the villages of Nowruzlu and Ghazanlu, 15-32 km south-east of Miandoab and c.45 km east-north-east of Mahabad. The site also includes Nowruzlu Dam, a small water storage reservoir of c.1,000 ha on the Zarrineh Rud in the north-west. The plain is fairly heavily populated, with several villages and a complex network of gravel and dirt roads. A line of high-tension power cables crosses the site. The plains are cultivated (primarily wheat) and the adjacent rolling hills are Artemisia steppe. There is a small marshy area with some reedbeds and shrubby vegetation where the river enters Nowruzlu Dam. Livestock (mainly sheep and goats) graze on fallow land and the adjacent hills.

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: See box for key species. The site is known to have been an important breeding area for Otis tarda in the 1960s, and there were still several nesting there in the 1970s; the plains are regularly visited by flocks in spring and autumn, with a maximum of 37 in November 1972. Nowruzulu Dam is an important feeding area for Pelecanus onocrotalus and Platalea leucorodia from the breeding colonies at Lake Uromiyeh, and occasionally holds large numbers of waterfowl during the spring and autumn migration seasons. Flocks of Anser albifrons and A. anser frequent the area in winter. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | rangeland/pastureland

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Wetlands(Inland)	19
Grassland	38
Artificial - Aquatic	6
Artificial - Terrestrial	38

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: High levels of disturbance from farming activities render much of the area unsuitable for bustards, and the high-tension power lines may constitute a hazard to them in flight.

Additional information