Sasyk Lake
- Country:Ukraine
- Site number:762
- Area:23,488.4 ha
- Designation date:28-02-1997
- Coordinates:45°39'N 29°39'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Overview
Sasyk Lake is an artificially desalinated reservoir on the Black Sea coast north of the Danube Delta. The low salinity is maintained through the inflow of fresh water through the Danube-Sasyk Canal. The vegetation consists of emergent and submergent plants including nationally rare species. The Site is important for migrating, breeding and moulting waterbirds including the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and the endangered red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis). Floodplain areas and permanent freshwater marshes provide habitat for seasonal concentrations of up to 35,000 birds. The Site supports several commercially important fish species and two endangered sturgeon species. Human activities include fishery, forestry, reed harvesting, recreation and scientific research. The Lake is a source of water for livestock. One of the main threats is eutrophication as the decoupling of the lagoon from the Black Sea inhibits natural water exchange, resulting in mass blooms of Cyanobacteriae. An increase in heavy metals in the lakebed sediments has also been recorded. The Site’s boundary was delineated more accurately in 2021, increasing the area by almost 2,500 hectares.
Administrative region:
Odesa Region
- Global international designation:
- UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
- National legal designation:
- Biosphere reserve - Danube Biosphere Reserve
- Regional (international) legal designations:
- Other international designation
- Last publication date:09-08-2022
Downloads
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Archived RIS
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- Other published literature