This ornithological protected area is the largest reservoir of Uzbekistan, consisting of freshwater lakes situated in the middle stream of the Syrdarya river and on the irrigated massif of Golodnaya steppe and Kyzyllum desert.

As summarized by Ramsar’s Pragati Tuladhar, the site is located at the crossroads of the Afro-Eurasian and Central Asian flyways and a centre for migrating and wintering waterbirds, with more than 100 species noted.

It provides habitat to threatened species like White-headed Duck Savka (Oxyura leucocephala), Sociable Lapwing (Chettusia gregaria), Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Red-breasted Goose (Rufibrenta ruficollis), Lesser White-fronted Goose(Anser erytropus), andPallas Sea-eagle(Haliaetus leucoryphus) and provides an important source of food and a spawning ground for various species of fish.

The main vegetations are reed communities used by local people, saltwort and tamarisk. An action plan for maintaining the stability of ecological conditions, 2008-2015, is in place.

The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 158 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1822 wetland sites, totaling 168 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.