Selenge - Tsagaan lake

Surface area: 17,143 ha
Elevation: 662-1,077 m

Protection status: Unprotected.

Site description: The site comprises saline lake, stretching from northeast to southwest, located in 5 km north of the Selenge River valley. There are extensive agricultural fields, covered areas till western and southern shores of the lake, while there are large wetlands in the east and northeastern side. In the wet years, when the Selenge River floods it enters to the lake and increases water level of the lake, extending it to the northeast. Except the marshy area in the east, all the rest surrounding areas of the lake are used for agriculture.

Importance for birds: Globally threatened bird species such as Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides) and Great Bustard (Otis tarda) occur at the site. Bean Goose (Anser fabalis), Greylag Goose (A. anser) and Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) and Demoiselle Cranes (Anthropoides virgo) gather here in flocks, exceeding 1% of their flyway populations.

Special flora and fauna: Grey Wolf (Canis lupus), Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Pallas’s Cat (Felis manul) and Siberian Marmot (Marmota sibirica), listed in Red Data Book of Mongolia, occur at the site.