Sahlabad area (8107)
Iran, Islamic Republic of, Middle East
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 1994
National site name: Sahlabad area
Central coordinates: Latitude: 32.0833, Longitude: 59.9167
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1350 to 1350
Area of KBA (km2): 317.85772
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Desert in the basin of the Lurg-i-Shuturan salt-lake (altitude c.1,350 m) at the eastern edge of Iran's Central Plateau. The site lies south of the village of Sahlabad, c.110 km south-south-east of Birjand. The 'lake' is an extensive bare saltflat, flooding only after exceptional storms, surrounded by a broad, sandy outwash plain with some areas of stabilized dunes. The main Mashad to Zahedan highway passes through the east of the site. There is excellent desertic steppe and sand-dune vegetation dominated by Zygophyllum, Ephedra, Artemisia and Tamarix, and adjacent hills support Artemisia steppe. There may be some livestock grazing, but the area is very remote, very sparsely populated and far from any substantial supplies of fresh water.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: See box for key species. One of the best areas in Iran for Podoces pleskei; 13 birds (including several juveniles) were seen along 16 km of the Mashad-Zahedan highway in June 1973. The breeding avifauna is characteristic of Iran's central and eastern deserts, and includes Cursorius cursor, Pterocles coronatus, P. orientalis and Sylvia nana. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Habitats
Land use: not utilised
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Desert | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: No conservation measures are known to have been proposed and there is no information on threats to the site.