Ustyurt Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan is a unique place. The local landscapes are called fantastic, extraterrestrial, unreal… However, the value of the reserve lies not only in landscapes, but also in its diverse fauna. It is home to many rare and endangered animal species. In this article you will find the most detailed information about the geography, climate, flora and fauna of the Ustyurt Reserve. In addition, we will tell you about its most interesting inhabitants.
Ustyurt Nature Reserve: photos and general information
For the first time, the idea of taking under protection the unique landscapes on the Ustyurt plateau arose in the 60s of the last century. It was during this period that the Soviet government began to actively develop the deserted and unsuitable for life expanses of Central Asia.
Ustyurt State Nature Reserve wasofficially established in July 1984 on an area of 223.3 thousand hectares. It is located on a picturesque watershed between the Caspian in the west and the rapidly drying Aral Sea in the east (map below). From the point of view of natural and geographical zoning, this territory belongs to the Irano-Turan desert subregion, and administratively located within the Mangistau (former Mangyshlak) region of Kazakhstan.
Ustyurt Nature Reserve is a contender for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. To date, this prestigious list includes only two natural sites from Kazakhstan - the Western Tien Shan and Saryarka.
Ustyurt Plateau
Before starting a detailed story about the objects of protection of the Ustyurt Reserve, you should familiarize yourself with the climatic and geomorphological conditions in which it is located. We will talk about the Ustyurt plateau - one of the least explored places on the planet Earth.
The plateau covers an area of 200,000 square kilometers within two neighboring states - Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. From the west it is bounded by Mangyshlak, and from the east by the delta of the Amudarya River. In fact, Ustyurt is a vast clay-rubble desert, which is sporadically covered with solonchak and wormwood vegetation. Local landscapes are called cosmic, extraterrestrial and at the same time unforgettable. The plateau looks especially beautiful in late spring and autumn.
One of the local names of the Ustyurt plateau is Barsa-Kelmes. This can be translated into Russian something like this: “If you go, you won’tcome back!” And this is not just a banal threat. In summer, the air temperature here sometimes exceeds +50 ° C, and in winter cold penetrating winds blow. And around - not a single reservoir, not a single permanent watercourse! But, in spite of everything, many adventurers and brave tourists strive to penetrate into the very heart of Ustyurt, popularly referred to as Shaitan-Kala ("Devil's Castle").
History of Creation
Ustyurt State Nature Reserve is located in the southwestern part of the Ustyurt Plateau. But his administration is located two hundred kilometers to the west - in the city of Aktau.
Active development of Ustyurt began in the mid-1960s, when significant reserves of gas, oil and uranium ores were discovered on the Mangyshlak Peninsula. At this time, roads are being actively built here, oil and gas pipelines are being laid, new cities and towns are being built. In a fairly short period, the population of the Mangyshlak region has almost doubled.
But this process also had a downside. The so-called conquest of Mangyshlak was accompanied by uncontrolled poaching: saigas, gazelles, cheetahs and other large animals were shot by dozens and even hundreds. By the early 1980s, the saiga population had declined tenfold, and the Asiatic cheetah had been completely exterminated in this region. Many bird species are endangered.
Scientists and local historians were worried and sounded the alarm. After lengthy bureaucratic procedures and approvals, the Ustyurt State Reserve was formed. It happened in 1984. However, not the entire territory was included under protection,originally proposed by scientists and zoologists.
Geology and relief
Ustyurt Nature Reserve is located at altitudes from 50 to 300 meters above sea level. The highest point is located at the Kugusem spring (340 meters), and the lowest point is north of Kenderlisor (-52 meters).
The territory of the reserve was finally formed about 15-20 thousand years ago, after several advances and retreats of the Caspian Sea. Everywhere there are deposits of the Permian period, presented in the form of folds of black and grayish-brown rocks with fragments of petrified remains of ancient plants. Traces of the Jurassic period are thin layers (10-30 centimeters) of fossil coal, which can be found on the eastern slopes of the Karamay ridge.
Chinks are the most interesting objects in the Ustyurt Reserve. These are steep cliffs, ledges, reaching 150-200 meters in height. They are composed of rocks of the Cretaceous period - chalk and limestone. They contain well-preserved remains of ancient marine animals - ammonites, mollusc shells, sea urchin shells, shark teeth, bony fish ridges, etc. You can see what Ustyurt chinks look like in the photo below.
Climate features
Ustyurt reserve lies entirely in the zone of sharply continental climate. Well-deservedly, this area was once called the "cruel land" by the famous scientist Eduard Eversman.
The climatic conditions of Ustyurt are extremely harsh. Summer in the reserve is very dry and hot. The thermometer in July sometimes rises to + 50 … + 55 ° С. But in the winter months, it can drop to 30-40 degrees with a minus sign. Thus, the annual temperature amplitudes in this region reach enormous values. Ustyurt winters are often accompanied by strong snow storms and piercing winds. Although in some years it may not snow at all.
Precipitation for the year falls a little, usually in the range of 100-120 millimeters. The absence of permanent streams and any fresh water bodies is compensated to some extent by underground springs and springs. Their largest concentration is observed in the areas of the Karamay ridge and the s alty Karazhar stream.
Flora and landscapes
The Ustyurt reserve is located in the desert, so the richness of the plant world is not typical for it. The boundary between the subzone of sagebrush-s altwort deserts in the north and the subzone of ephemeral-sagebrush deserts in the south passes through its territory.
In general, the flora of the Ustyurt Reserve has over 250 species of vascular plants. Among them are five Red Book species. This is:
- chalk madder;
- Khivan s altwort;
- spurge hard-glass;
- toothless katran;
- soft-leaved soft-leaved.
The nature of the vegetation is largely determined by the diversity of the reserve's soil cover. Thus, a hydrophilic flora was formed on clay substrates, consisting mainly of grasses (reed, reed) and camel thorn thickets. In some places there are stunted trees of black saxaul, sucker andtamarisk. Groves of white saxaul with admixtures of sandy acacia grow on sandy substrates. The slopes of the sandy ridges are dotted with astragalus, feather grass, wormwood and the same camel thorn.
Convolvulus, saxaul and wormwood communities predominate on gravelly and rocky soils, potash and sarsazan communities prevail on solonchak soils. The vegetation of chinks, residual rocks and ravines is the most diverse. Here you can find thickets of tamarisk, reed and quinoa. Near the springs there are reed groves, and the reed stalks are much higher than the height of a person.
Adaptation of Ustyurt plants
The flora of the reserve is forced to adapt to the extremely arid climatic conditions of the region. Local plants solve the problem of moisture deficiency in different ways: some species minimize evaporation, others accumulate water in succulent and thick stems, and still others develop a powerful and very branched root system in order to “pull out” nutrient moisture from the ground.
However, there are plants in the reserve that simply adjust their life cycle to those short periods of "wet" seasons, which usually last no more than four weeks. Scientists call them ephemera and ephemeroids. The size of these plants, as well as the intensity of their flowering period, directly depend on the amount of precipitation.
Animal world
The fauna of the reserve is more diverse than the flora. So, in the protected area lives in total:
- mammals – 29 species;
- birds - 166 species;
- insects – 793 species;
- arachnids and crustaceans - 12 species;
- reptiles – 18 species;
- amphibians – 1 species.
Among them are many rare and endangered representatives of the fauna. In addition, a number of animals have not been found in the reserve for a long time. So, according to the zoologist A. A. Sludsky, porcupines disappeared at the end of the 19th century, but cheetahs were completely exterminated in the second half of the 20th century. The population of Ustyurt mouflons is under great threat. If in the mid-60s there were about 1500 individuals, then by the end of the 90s this number was reduced to 120 individuals.
Avifauna
Ustyurt reserve is distinguished by the richest world of birds. The total number of bird species recorded here is 166. A third of them constantly nest in the reserve. Eight species are listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. Among the objects of protection of the Ustyurt Reserve are flamingo, saker falcon, peregrine falcon, golden eagle, steppe eagle.
Numerous niches, cracks and crevices in the Ustyurt chinks, inaccessible to predators, are a favorite nesting place for a number of birds. Most often, such places are chosen by crows, eagle owls, vultures and owls. Power lines pose a great danger to the feathered inhabitants of the reserve. Every year, several dozen birds die on them, including Red Book predators.
Crawling and jumping fauna
Reptiles (or reptiles) are typical inhabitants of any desert area. Within the Ustyurt Reserve, there are 18types. The most numerous among them are the steppe agama, fast foot-and-mouth disease, arrow-snake. Geckos are quite widespread (in particular, gray and Caspian). However, due to the twilight lifestyle of the latter, it is quite difficult to see them.
A curious inhabitant of Ustyurt is a sand boa. The diminutive suffix to the name of this species is not accidental: the snake is really small in size. However, she also strangles her victims - small rodents, lizards and birds, like her larger tropical relatives. Another interesting representative of the local fauna is the green toad. From the heat of the day, she hides in deep holes, and comes out to hunt only at night. It breeds in strictly defined and rare places, where groundwater comes to the surface.
Objects of protection of the Ustyurt Reserve
As mentioned above, a number of rare Red Book species of animals live within the reserve. Some of them are especially vulnerable and need more serious protection. We list the main objects of protection of the Ustyurt Reserve:
- mouflon;
- gazelle;
- caracal;
- manul;
- dressing;
- honey badger;
- leopard (very rare);
- dune cat;
- white-bellied arrowhead;
- four-lane skid;
- flamingos;
- peregrine falcon;
- steppe eagle;
- golden eagle;
- black-bellied sandgrouse.
Jeyran
Jeyran is an artiodactyl mammal from the genus of gazelles. To date, no more than 250representatives of this species. Moreover, the entire habitat of this animal was not included in the boundaries of the reserve. Therefore, gazelles often become the prey of poachers.
Studying these animals is an incredibly difficult task. After all, they are shy and very careful. In 2014, special camera traps began to be used in the reserve, which were placed near fresh water sources. The result was not long in coming: the employees of the Ustyurt Reserve received a number of magnificent photographs of gazelles and some other ungulates.
Honey badger
The honey badger is an animal from the marten family that looks like a badger. Its main habitat is in Africa. Contrary to its name, the honey badger feeds mainly on rodents, amphibians, and bird eggs. It is an aggressive and agile predator with very sharp claws and teeth. Sometimes it can even attack a fox or an antelope. It is extremely rare within the Ustyurt Reserve.
Caracal
Caracal is a predatory mammal from the cat family. Another common name is the steppe lynx. It is distinguished by a monophonic sandy or brownish color, as well as the presence of black tassels on the ears. The caracal hunts mainly for jerboas, ground squirrels and other rodents. The population of the species within the reserve is not numerous.
Manul
Another extremely rare inhabitant of the Ustyurt Reserve is the wild cat manul. By sizeit is similar to the domestic cat, but differs from the latter in thicker hair and shortened legs. Unfortunately, over the past thirty years, the presence of manul in the reserve has not been recorded. But experts do not lose hope to meet this cute and funny predator.
Nature or gas - who will win?
The main threat to Ustyurt is the Kansu gas field, adjacent to the southern borders of the reserve. In September 2016, the Kazakh authorities decided to start developing it. According to experts' forecasts, the field is capable of producing from 25 to 125 million cubic meters of natural gas.
The well-known biologist Mark Pestov, who has been studying the fauna and flora of Ustyurt for seven years, assures: if active geological exploration begins on the border of the Ustyurt Reserve, then all large predators and birds will leave this place. Thus, the fauna of the reserve will be at least twice as poor.
The same concern is shared by other scientists and environmentalists. In their unanimous opinion, the development of the Kansu field will deal a crushing blow to the unique ecosystem of Central Asia. Kazakh activists have already sent a letter to President Nursultan Nazarbayev with a request to impose a moratorium on its development. Will the authorities listen to this appeal? Time will tell.
