Lake Kinneret and Kinerot (8172)
Israel, Middle East

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1e

Year of last assessment: 2018

National site name: Lake Kinneret and Kinerot

Central coordinates: Latitude: 32.8000, Longitude: 35.5833

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): -209 to -209

Area of KBA (km²): 222.22905

Protected area coverage (%): 7.17

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Lake Kinneret (16,500 ha) is the largest and only natural freshwater lake in Israel. It is 209 m below sea-level.

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. Alliance for Zero Extinction (2018): site confirmed as an AZE site during the AZE project (2015-2018). Taxonomy, nomenclature and Red List category follow the IUCN 2016 Red List.

Additional biodiversity: See box for key species. The lake holds many wintering waterbirds, and was listed as a wetland of international importance by Carp (1980). The surrounding hills, particularly to the north (e.g. Nahal Amud), hold good numbers of landbirds, including Anthus similis. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | nature conservation and research (2%) | tourism/recreation

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Artificial - Terrestrial	45
Wetlands(Inland)	45
Shrubland	5
Grassland	5

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Bet Zaida Nature Reserve forms a 4-km strip on the north-east shore of the lake. The lake is among the main recreational areas in northern Israel, and disturbance from this source constitutes the main threat to the site, though this is not a major problem in winter.

Additional information

References: Carp (1980), Geller (1983).