Saryarka – Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan
The Saryalka-Northern Kazakhstan Steppe and Lakes Reserve consists of two reserves: the Naurzum State Nature Reserve and the Kolgarzhin State Nature Reserve, with a total area of 450,344 hectares. The wetlands within the reserve are of great importance for migratory birds, including globally endangered species, including the extremely rare Siberian white crane, the Dalmatian pelican, the red-necked sea eagle, etc. The wetlands are an important stopover and crossroads on the Central Asian flyway for African, European and South Asian birds flying to their breeding grounds in Western Siberia and Eastern Siberia. The 200,000 hectares of Central Asian steppes within the reserve provide a valuable refuge for more than half of the region's steppe plant species, many endangered bird species, and the critically endangered saiga antelope, which was previously abundant but has been greatly reduced due to poaching. The property includes two groups of freshwater and saltwater lakes located on the watershed of rivers flowing north to the Arctic and south to the Aral Sea-Irtysh River Basin.