Uvs Nuur Basin

Uvs Nuur Basin
Photo in the Public Domain.

The Uvs Nuur Basin covers a range of diverse ecosystems within the closed catchment of the saline Uvs Nuur lake system.

Uvs Nuur is an 'inland sea', that is frequented by a range of seabirds even though the nearest ocean is 3,000km away. It is almost circular and 70km in diameter.

The surrounding area consists of steppes, mountains, forests, wetland and deserts. It supports a variety in birds, both resident waterfowl and migrating birds. Mammals include snow leopard, mountain sheep (argali), marbled polecat and the Asiatic ibex.

This serial nomination consists of 12 strictly protected areas. It lies partly in Tuva (Russian Federation) and Mongolia. The site is inhabited by semi-nomadic pastoralists.

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Site Info

Full Name
Uvs Nuur Basin
Unesco ID
769
Country
Mongolia Russia
Inscribed
2003
Type
Natural
Criteria
9 10
Categories
Natural landscape - Rivers, Wetlands and Lakes
Link
By ID

Site History

2003 Inscribed

1990 Deferred

Bureau - Has potential for nomination but make smaller and develop Management plan for crossborder cooperation

Site Links

Unesco Website
Uvs Nuur Basin
Official Website

Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Reserve

Related

Greenpeace on Uvs Nuur Basin

Locations

The site has 11 locations

Uvs Nuur Basin: Uvs Lake Mongolia, Mongolia
Uvs Nuur Basin: Mongun Taiga Russian Federation, Russian Federation
Uvs Nuur Basin: Oroku-Shinaa Russian Federation, Russian Federation
Uvs Nuur Basin: Aryskannyg Russian Federation, Russian Federation
Uvs Nuur Basin: Jamaalyg Russian Federation, Russian Federation
Uvs Nuur Basin: Tsugeer els Russian Federation, Russian Federation
Uvs Nuur Basin: Ular Russian Federation, Russian Federation
Uvs Nuur Basin: Tsagan shuvuut Mongolia, Mongolia
Uvs Nuur Basin: Turgen Mongolia, Mongolia
Uvs Nuur Basin: Altan els Mongolia, Mongolia
Uvs Nuur Basin: Tes River Mongolia, Mongolia

Connections

The site has

Constructions
Petroglyphs: At Yamaalig
Damaged
Poaching: concerns about poaching, Illegal hunting is of some concern, however, its impact on the population of target species appears low
Ecology
Steppe
Snow leopard: Two of the Mongolian protected areas, Turgen Uul and Tsagaan Shuvuut, are habitats for the endangered Snow Leopard
Boreal Forest or Taiga
Bears: Brown bear
Bird Migrations: OUV: of major importance for waterfowl, as well as a stepping stone in the bird migration between Siberia and wintering ranges in China and South Asia.
Salt Flats: Torkhiologiin-Gol delta consists of desert and salt flats (UNEP-WCMC)
Inselbergs: sculptured granite inselbergs of which Yamaalyg Reserve is one (UNEP-WCMC)
Dunes: desert of fixed and shifting dunes (UNEP-WCMC)
Otters: common otter (UNEP-WCMC)
Critically endangered fauna species: Siberian crane
Strict Nature Reserve: Uvs Nuur Basin Strict Protected Area
Endorheic Lakes
Swamps and Marshes: "to diverse wetlands and marshlands, freshwater and saltwater systems" (OUV)
Geography
Siberia
River deltas: Uvs Lake and Ubsu-Nur include the deltas of the Tesin-Gol and Torkhiologiin-Gol rivers (UNEP-WCMC)
Glaciers: The area has a fifth of Mongolia's glaciers (UNEP-WCMC)
Individual Lakes: Uvs Lake, the largest lake in Mongolia
On a Continental Border: Asia/Europe
Human Activity
Natural sites with indigenous human population: nomadic pastoral use of the grasslands within the basin over thousands of years
Pastoralism: has been used for nomadic pastoralism for thousands of years (crit X)
Timeline
Holocene: During the Holocene, the current ecological "mix" was created.
Trivia
In Video Games: Civilization VI: Ubsunur Hollow
Visiting conditions
One thousand visitors or fewer: DD : “Controlled and uncontrolled tourism activities are affecting some of the component areas of this serial site, such as Tore-Khol Lake (IUCN Consultation, 2017) and could cause a negative impact on the natural and cultural values of the site (Schuerholz et al., 2007). However, the opportunities for large-scale tourism in the basin are currently very limited, due to its remoteness and lack of tourism infrastructure.” (IUCN Outlook 2020)
WHS on Other Lists
Ramsar Wetlands: Lake Uvs and its surrounding wetlands, 2004
World Biosphere Reserves: Uvs Lake Depression Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, Mongolia – Russian Federation (2021)
World Heritage Process
First inscriptions: Mongolia 2003 (with Russia)
Slow Starters: 1990-2003 : 13 years
Ten years or more to inscribe: 1990-2003
Transboundary sites
Trans-regional WHS: Europe + Asia and the Pacific region

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