Uzbekistan state university of world languages

3. Modern state of the nature reserves.
During globally warmer periods, winter westerly Atlantic precipitation was drawn towards the north of Eurasia, which made Central Asia (and what is today Uzbekistan) drier. However, periods of colder global temperatures pushed this same flow of Atlantic precipitation to the south making Central Asia wetter, famously during what scientists call the Little Ice Age (roughly 1420-1825 CE). A recent study of temperature histories recorded in tree rings from the Saigachy region (upriver from Uzbekistan, in Tajikistan), published by Polish climatology researcher Magdalena Opała-Owascarek, shows significant cold periods during the Little Ice Age, especially during the periods 1450-1650 and 1750-1790. These records also record a cold spike in response to the Tambora eruption in Indonesia in 1815. A separate study, based on a synthesis of twenty-one different climatic records, including historical documents and bubbles of compressed historical air trapped in ice-cores, shows that the colder temperatures coincided with increased moisture during the Little Ice Age.
These changes occurred at a much slower speed than the rapid human-caused climate change we are experiencing today. However, historical warm periods especially from 50BCE to 400CE and from 800 to 1200 CE, show that warmer global temperatures bring a drier climate to Central Asia.
Since the turn of the twentieth century, we have begun to see the impacts of modern human activity both on the ground and on the atmosphere. In what is today Uzbekistan, rivers were diverted and overexploited for cotton growing during the Soviet period as part of an economic policy that was based on misunderstandings of Central Asian ecology left over from the Russian imperial period.
The area of forests on the globe is just over 4 billion hectares, which is 40% of the land area. What is a forest? It is clean air; 1 hectare of forest cleans 18 million cubic metres of air per year. The forest is a guardian of clean water, a regulator of moisture in the soil and air. It is wood from which over 20 thousand different substances and objects can be obtained. These are berries, nuts, mushrooms, medicinal plants. A forest is a wonderful place for recreation and many other things. In the last 300 years alone, the forest area on earth has halved. As a result, many species of trees, shrubs and herbaceous forms have disappeared forever from the great diversity of species, and some of them are on the verge of extinction. The situation of wildlife is no better. Throughout all phases of history, man has considered it his duty and even an absolute right to exterminate wild animals. In the almost 2000 years of our era, 106 species of mammals have disappeared, not counting birds and other animal groups. And if the first 33 species of mammals disappeared from the face of the earth over 1800 years, the next 33 – only for 100 years, and the last 40 – only for half a century. Hyena, Turanian tiger, kulan, cheetah and others disappeared from the fauna of Uzbekistan in XX century. To protect all existing species of plant and animal organisms and natural complexes, the nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, nature and national parks and natural monuments are established in Uzbekistan.
This oldest state nature reserve on the territory of Uzbekistan was established in 1947. Its area is 35.2 thousand ha. It is located on the slopes of the Chatkal Ridge in the western Tien Shan (Tashkent Region, Parkent District). Very picturesque, inaccessible area with rugged rocks, boulders, beautiful mountain peaks rising to more than 4600 m above sea level. The gorges are deep, with crystal clear water streams.
The territory of the nature reserve consists of two separate sections – Bashkizilsay and Maydan Valley section, separated from each other by mountain passes. The Maydan Valley section is quite inaccessible and can only be reached on foot or on horseback. The vegetation of the reserve is represented by more than 40 species of trees and shrubs. Some of them are endemics of the western Tien Shan. A considerable part of the slopes is covered with natural thickets of fir trees. There are two types of these in the reserve, birch forests along the riverbanks. Shrubs include blackcurrant, Turkestan mountain ash, Magaleb cherry and pistachio. Some groves are formed by Afghan poplar, willow, maple, Caucasian maple, walnut, Severtsov apple, cherry plum and common apricot.
The wildlife of the nature reserve is rich and diverse. Siberian mountain goat, roe deer, wild boar, Turkestan lynx, white bear, fox, stone marten, Menzbira marmot, porcupine, ermine, relic ground squirrel, snow leopard live here. Grouse, ptarmigan, black vulture, bearded vulture, golden eagle nest on the territory of the nature reserve. Marinka salmon, Amu-Darya char and small Turkestan catfish are common in the mountain rivers. The sights of the reserve are rock paintings depicting the hunting of wild goats in Bashkizilsay and Tereklisay and other places. Under the administration of the reserve, a museum has been established in the town of Parkent to reflect the beauty and richness of nature as well as the history of the reserve.
The nature reserve was established in 1960 with the aim of preserving the unique natural spruce forests with their peculiar flora and fauna. Its area is 26.8 thousand hectares, of which 4161 hectares are covered with forest. The nature reserve is located in the Jizzakh oblast of Uzbekistan. The territory is a distinct mountain range sloping gently from east to west, encompassing the mid- and high-mountain areas of the ridge at an altitude of 1760 to 3500 m above sea level. The southern part of the territory consists of steep slopes of the Turkestan ridge cut by deep, narrow gorges. The northern part has a more subdued relief with terraces covered with thick marl and loess-like clay. The soils of the nature reserve are represented by dark grey soils, brown soils, meadow soils and alluvial floodplain soils. The climate in the Zomin Nature Reserve is strictly continental with an average annual precipitation of 405 mm according to long-term data. The greatest amounts of precipitation fall in October, January and April. The highest temperature is in July and August, when the absolute maximum is +33, in December and January it drops to -34. All mountains are characterised by strong temperature fluctuations during the day and night and the return of cold weather after spring warming. Under such harsh climatic conditions, only drought- and frost-resistant trees and shrubs grow here.
Several hundred plant species grow in the nature reserve, including dozens of the most economically valuable ones: medicinal, resinous, tanning, dyeing, essential oil-bearing, fruit-bearing and forage plants, which constitute a valuable genetic pool: Cornflower thistle, Narrow-leaved knotweed, Olga sedge, Turkestan sedge, Wheatgrass, Tipchak, Gentian, Yarrow, Grassless blackberry, Hedgehog, Tumbleweed, Vetch, Tien-Shan alfalfa, Astragalus, Ferula, Gissar dandelion, common lupus, geranium, onion, tarragon, carnation, eremurus, acantholimon, sainfoin, tragacanthus, hypophyllum, cousin, juniper, Turkestan hawthorn, Fedchenko rosehip, Korolkov honeysuckle, elongated barberry, cotoneaster, etc. The fauna of the nature reserve belongs to the East Bukhara zoogeographical region. In the mountain steppe zone there are Turkestan agama, patterned snake, desert goose, yellow-bellied, juniper tit, Himalayan pika, grey-headed shrike, wolf, Tolai hare, common mole vole.
In the forest belt you can find green toad, lake frog and moccasin. The juniper zone is particularly rich in birds. Sheep finches, curlews, dark thrushes, bitterns, juniper thrushes, pigeons, finches, the Turkestan eagle owl, the grey owl and the Turkestan starling are common in the forests of the nature reserve. In gorges with waterfalls live blue tits and titmice, near rocky shoals – dippers and water striders, sandpipers and wagtails. Large birds of prey such as griffon vultures, black vultures and bearded vultures roost on the cliffs. Beluga bear, Turkestan lynx, dormouse, Caruthers vole, wood mouse and grey hamster live in the forest thicket. The stone marten lives in rocky outcrops and on rocky scree slopes. The subalpine belt is the poorest in animals. Among the birds, the most common are the wheatear, lesser white-fronted goose, lesser black-backed gull, Himalayan lappet and yellow-billed bunting. The mammals that are permanent residents of the nature reserve are the Central Asian ibex, the Eurasian mole mouse and the stone marten.
One of the attractions of the nature reserve are huge, high red rocks in a clearing in Qizilsuv-Ataksay in various fanciful shapes resembling sphinxes. The local people call this place “kyrkkyz”, which means “forty virgins”. The figures are made of conglomerates and sandstones. In some places they are very polished, in others they have large and scarlet cracks in which various shrubs grow. In 1978, the nature reserve was home to about 120 Central Asian ibex, 10 white bears, 6 Turkestan lynx and a pair of black storks.
In the western part of the Jizzakh region (Forish district, Hayat settlement), on the northern slope of the Nuratau Mountains, the Nurata Nature Reserve was established in 1975 with the aim of preserving the population of rare animal species – Severtsov sheep and valuable nut tree varieties. The area of the protected area is 22537 hectares, of which 2391 hectares are covered with forest. The northern slopes of the ridge are rocky and drop steeply to the adjacent plain. The complex mountain relief has an absolute height above sea level of 400 to 2100 m, the highest point of the nature reserve being the peak of Hayat-Bashi (2169 m). The nature reserve is crossed by ten large and small streams that do not dry up in summer and carry their clear and pure water towards the Aydar Solonchak.
The climate is relatively dry and strongly continental. The average annual precipitation does not exceed 400 mm. The maximum air temperature in the summer period (July) is +43, in January it drops to -29. The average monthly relative humidity varies in the range of 24-72%. The soils of the reserve are represented by brown mountain forest and dark grey soils. The rocky areas have become imaginative under the influence of weathering.
The vegetation of the nature reserve is pristine. There are about 600 species of plants, some of which are endemic: Victor’s tulip, Korolkova, Velikiy, Elena’s carnation, Shchurovskii cousins, Suvorov’s onion, Severtsova ungernia, Nurata jaundice and Nurata strawflower. Among the relict plants are oriental biota and rare forms of juniper of Zeravshan and pear rule. Woody vegetation is found mainly in the floodplains of the Sai. Here the main forest-forming tree species is the walnut. It is usually accompanied by wild common apple, wild common apricot, mulberry, willow, poplar, elm and karagach. True pistachio and Bukhara almond grow on stony rocks. Shrub thickets are formed by honeysuckle, Turkestan hawthorn, cotoneaster, various species of rosehip and wild grape. Ephemeral-ephemeral vegetation dominates in the foothills and rises to the watershed of the ridge. Prangos, ferula, ziziphora, phloemis, eremurus, bitterroot, olga nightshade, various species of astragalus, as well as cereals and other grass-like plants grow on the stony slopes that occupy large areas of the reserve.
The wildlife of the reserve is diverse. The patterned, colourful and red-banded voles inhabit both forests and cliffs. There are also frequent poisonous snakes, such as the adder and the rare northern gyphomonk. In the foothills, the steppe tortoise and steppe dragon are numerous; the yellow-bellied rises almost to the watershed in the foothills. The Turkestan gecko and Turkestan agama find shelter among the rocks. Long-horned Skink and Cross-banded Wolfcrab are found in the mountains. One of the birds’ migration routes passes through the Nuratau Mountains. Indian starlings, partridges, golden eagles, white-headed vultures, black vultures, stone buntings and rock buntings constantly inhabit the area of the reserve. Mammals are also relatively numerous. Typical for the nature reserve are: Red fox, desert wolf, corsak, stone marten, porcupine, Tolai hare, wild boar, forest dormouse, long-legged hedgehog, red-tailed and great gerbil, Severtsov’s marmot, Severtsov’s sheep.
In the Osraf tract there are petroglyphs of mountain sheep hunting and remains of an ancient settlement. The largest tree on the territory of the Biota East Nature Reserve grows in the largest saiga in terms of length – Medzherum. Its trunk reaches a circumference of 8.5 metres. There are folk secrets and legends connected with the tree. In the past, the local population considered this tree sacred and revered it. Near the tree is an abandoned mosque of Archa-ata, which means “Archa-father”. In 1918, a huge coniferous tree up to a thousand years old was reported, belonging to the species Biota orientalis. Two small groves of these trees are found in the Nurata Mountains: one in a deep and wild gorge of Medzherumsay, the other in the village of Ustuk. The growth of these trees on the tombs of saints or near the mosque suggests that they were planted by human hands. In 1975, the Qizilsuv State Nature Reserve was created in the Kashkadarya region (Jakkabagh district, Jakkabagh village). Its area is 30094 hectares, of which 4192 hectares are covered with forest. It is located on the north-western slope of the Hissar Range, in Kamashin and Yakkabag districts at an altitude of 1800 to 4000 m above sea level. The reserve includes the Qizilsuv River basin with its tributaries: Dong-Dong-Chokan, Kalasai, Kaltakul, Shilkhazor, Kattakhursan, Karankul, Aksu and Kichikkalasai. Near the reserve, on the right bank of the raging Qizilsuv River, on an ancient river terrace, is the village of Tashkurgan, which is several centuries old. The inhabitants of this village were resettled in the Karshi steppe, in the land of the new irrigation. The village of Tashkurgan was inhabited by about 500 families and is an open-air museum.
The climate here is relatively dry and strongly continental. The air temperature varies from -30 to +30. The average monthly relative humidity varies between 33 and 63 %. The most important forest-forming species in the reserve are juniper and willow. More than 400 plant species grow in the nature reserve. The understory in juniper woodlands consists of ephedra, alay cherry, meadowsweet, honeysuckle, rosehip and barberry. The juniper grass cover consists of small wormwood, thyme, carriage grass, St. John’s wort, couch grass, wormwood, geranium, sedge.
The fauna of the nature reserve is also rich. Representatives of different classes of animals live here. The following classes of animals are protected in the nature reserve: Bear, snow leopard, Iranian otter, Central Asian lynx, wild boar, badger, porcupine, red marmot, Tolai hare, stone marten, Pamir white-toothed marten and Central Asian goat. Birds are the most numerous class. There are 66 species, of which 27 are sedentary. These include bearded vulture, golden eagle, Siberian godwit, Himalayan ptarmigan, pigeon, owl, eagle owl, yellow-breasted curlew, nuthatch, juniper tit, juniper lens, Himalayan pika, warbler and tern. Marinka is located in Qizilsuv. The green toad is widely distributed over the territory of the reserve and is often found at an altitude of 3000 m above sea level.
In the area of Kalla-i-Shiron, 13 km from the village of Tashkurgan, in the middle reaches of the Kalasai, a left tributary of the Qizilsuv, is the 616 m long cave of Amir Temur Kuragon. Apart from the main cave, there is also a passage cave 190 m long. The caves are located at an altitude of 2937 m above sea level. The entrance to the cave from the right side of the valley, at a relative altitude of 170 m. Above the entrance rises a steep rock face about 200 m high. The steepness of the slope below the exit reaches 40-60. It is filled with earth and rubble. There are several grottos in the cave, and in the last one the slickness of the underground lake is frozen. The width of the lake is 30 m; at the end of the lake the water splashes down from the arch and fills the grotto with the rush. The water temperature in the lake is +8.
In 1976, another nature reserve was established in Kashkadarya province (Shakhrisabz district, Miraki). Its area is 46000 ha. It is located on the northwestern foothills of the Hissar range, Pamir-Alai, in the basins of the Aksu and Tanhazdarya rivers, at an altitude of 1800 to 4300 m above sea level. The relief is mountainous, highly dissected by numerous river valleys with narrow, barely passable, picturesque gorges. The Severtsov glacier – the largest glacier in Uzbekistan – is located in the higher part of the nature reserve. The sight of the nature reserve is the ancient Hazrat Sultan Mosque, located on the top of the mountain of the same name, one of the highest points of the nature reserve. There are caves on the territory of the nature reserve, but they have not been explored yet. A very beautiful waterfall is the Suvtshar waterfall on the Aksuvdarya River.