Lake Julturbas

The Site was once part of a bay of the Aral Sea, the fourth-largest lake in the world until around 1960, along with the nearby Sudochye Lake System, which is also a Wetland of International Importance (Site no. 2522). Since the severe reduction in the Aral Sea’s area, the Site has become an important stopover for many birds migrating along the Central Asian and African-Eurasian Flyways. It supports about 25,000 waterbirds annually, and 1% of the regional populations of at least seven bird species including ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca), red-crested pochard (Netta rufina) and white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala). There are 15 species of fish, and five of them are endemic to the Aral Sea region, including two critically endangered species, the dwarf sturgeon (Pseudoscaphirhynchus hermanni) and the Amu Darya sturgeon (Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni). There are also some terrestrial animals living around the periphery of the lake, such as the vulnerable goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa). Activities such as cattle grazing, reed harvesting, fishing and hunting are allowed for the local communities. A “State Hunting Farm” and a “State Forest Community” have been established to promote wise use of the wetland’s resources and sustainable tourism in the Site.

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