Divandareh/Zarrineh Owbatu (8108)
Iran, Islamic Republic of, Middle East

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 1994

National site name: Divandareh/Zarrineh Owbatu

Central coordinates: Latitude: 35.8833, Longitude: 47.1167

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 1800 to 1800

Area of KBA (km²): 370.63939

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Rolling plains, deeply dissected by a number of intermittent streams, at 1,800 m in northern Kurdistan, c.65 km north of Sanandaj. Most of the area is cultivated with wheat, and there is Artemisia steppe on the adjacent hills. There are few villages and virtually no roads. Land ownership is private.

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. Otis tarda is a regular visitor from August to November and may breed; up to 16 were observed by Department of the Environment personnel in the early 1970s, and local farmers reported concentrations of 30-40. Breeding species include Buteo rufinus, Falco tinnunculus, Pterocles orientalis, Columba livia and Athene noctua. Winter visitors include Accipiter nisus and Montifringilla nivalis, and passage migrants include Aquila nipalensis and Grus grus. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Habitats

Land use: agriculture

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Grassland	5
Artificial - Terrestrial	95

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.

Additional information