During the winter period, a count of waterfowl and wetland birds took place at Lake Issyk-Kul and the Ortok-Tokoy reservoir, organized by the Directorate of the Biosphere Territory "Issyk-Kul" in collaboration with the Institute of Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic. This was reported by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The monitoring of bird populations and their habitats at Issyk-Kul is conducted annually — in winter, spring, and autumn. The collection of data on the number and distribution of birds allows for the analysis of the state of water bodies and the ecological balance of the region, and also serves as an indicator of socio-economic conditions.
Experts emphasize that the bird count provides an opportunity to familiarize oneself with the wintering and migrating species inhabiting the Issyk-Kul region, which is an important point on the migration routes of Central Asia.
The agency also added that such activities contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable natural resource management, and the results of the count can be used for making management and environmental protection decisions.
