Bugdasheni Lake

The Site is comprised of Bugdasheni Lake, an alpine lake of volcanic origin, and marshes, boggy meadows and rivers. It is a part of a mountain steppe landscape on the Javakheti plateau. The wetland is important for the biological diversity of the region: it contains up to 19 endemic plant species, and supports numerous bird species – amounting to 40,000 individuals – during their migration and breeding periods. A rocky isle in the south-eastern part of the Lake is a particularly important nesting site for various waterbirds, including the critically endangered sociable lapwing (Vanellus gregarius) and the nationally vulnerable great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus). The Site also supports internationally important numbers of nationally vulnerable ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), which breed and moult in the wetland. Rechannelling of the water supply from the Zagranichnaja River is one of the main threats to the wetland, as it now loses half of its water during some periods. Overgrazing, haymaking, pollution from cattle farming, and invasive species are other factors adversely affecting the Site.

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