, iucn_category = IV , photo = Chachuna Managed Reserve.jpg , photo_alt = , photo_caption = Chachuna nature reserve , photo_width = , map = Georgia#Georgia Kakheti , relief = yes , location = , nearest_city =

Dedoplistskaro Dedoplistskaro or Dedoplistsqaro ( ka, დედოფლისწყარო, , literally: ''Queen's spring'') is a town in Kakheti, Georgia with the population of 5,940. The town is located in the Shiraki Plain, eastern Georgia, and functions a ...

, map_alt = , map_caption = , map_width = , coordinates = , coords_ref = , area_acre = , area_km2 =52 , area_ref = , established = 1996 , visitation_num = , visitation_year = , governing_body = Agency of Protected Areas , world_heritage_site = , website
Chachuna Managed Reserve Administration
Chachuna Managed Reserve ( ka, ჭაჭუნის აღკვეთილი) is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in the Dedoplistskaro Municipality in

Kakheti Kakheti ( ka, კახეთი ''K’akheti''; ) is a region (mkhare) formed in the 1990s in eastern Georgia from the historical province of Kakheti and the small, mountainous province of Tusheti. Telavi is its capital. The region comprises eigh ...

region of Georgia in the south-eastern part of the country near the border with

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

s of

Iori River The Iori ( ka, იორი, az, Qabırrı) is a river in the South Caucasus that originates in the Greater Caucasus Mountains in eastern Georgia and continues into Azerbaijan, where it is also known as Gabirry (Qabirry) and flows into the Mingac ...

. Chachuna Managed Reserve was established in order to protect forests on the banks of the Iori river and ''Dalis-Mta reservoir''Tba Dalis Mta
geoview.info and it characteristic

arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ar ...

and semi-arid types of flora and fauna. On the reserve territory there are several bird hides for birdwatching. Chachuni Managed Reserve was established in 1996 mostly on the territory of former Chachuni State Forestry which was in existence since 1965. The Administration of Chachuna Managed Reserve is located in

in shared facility with Vashlovani Protected Areas Administration.

History

Chachuna steppe is located in the historic region Kiziki, also known as ''Kambechovani''. This East Georgia territory lies in the basins of Iori and Alazani rivers in the northern part of Mtkvari River basin and presently is within borders of

Sighnaghi Municipality Sighnaghi ( ka, სიღნაღის მუნიციპალიტეტი) is an administrative-territorial unit in eastern Georgia, Kakheti region. The municipality borders the municipalities of Gurjaani and Sagarejo to the northwest a ...

and Dedoplistskaro Municipality. The area has many historical monuments such as: the ruins of the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

Khornabuji Castle Khornabuji Castle ( ka, ხორნაბუჯი, tr), also sometimes known as the Fortress of Tamar ( ka, თამარის ციხე, tr), is an ancient castle in the eastern part of Georgia (country), Georgia. It is located approxima ...

, first founded by

Vakhtang I of Iberia Vakhtang I Gorgasali ( ka, ვახტანგ I გორგასალი, tr; or 443 – 502 or 522), of the Chosroid dynasty, was a king of Iberia, natively known as Kartli (eastern Georgia) in the second half of the 5th and first quarter o ...

, 5th-6th century St. Elias Church on Mount Elias, 8th century Khirsa Monastic Complex where is the burial place of the Stephen of Khirsa, one of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers, 10th - 11th century rock carved temple — Dedoplistskaro Cave Complex, the 11th century domed Church of the Ascention near village Ozaani, the 18th century town of Kiziki, built by the Heraclius II of Georgia, and it well preserved

defensive wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

with 23 towers and 5 gates. Also 18th century domed Church of Seraphoim of Sarov in the village Samreklo. There is also Niko Pirosmanashvili State Museum in the village of Mirzaani and many historic gravesites throughout entire the area.

Geography

Chachuna Managed Reserve along with

Iori Managed Reserve , iucn_category = IV , photo = მდინარე იორი (G.N. 2012).jpg , photo_alt = , photo_caption = Iori river , photo_width = , map = Georgia#Georgia Kakheti , relief = yes , location = , nearest_city = , map_alt = , ...

and

Korugi Managed Reserve , iucn_category = IV , photo = ივრის ჭალა (G.N. 2009).jpg , photo_alt = , photo_caption = Floodplain of Iori river , photo_width = , map = Georgia#Georgia Kakheti , relief = yes , location = , nearest_city =Sagarejo , ...

protects

Iori river The Iori ( ka, იორი, az, Qabırrı) is a river in the South Caucasus that originates in the Greater Caucasus Mountains in eastern Georgia and continues into Azerbaijan, where it is also known as Gabirry (Qabirry) and flows into the Mingac ...

valley in Georgia from upstream to the border with Azerbaijan. Iori valley uniquely combines

s and

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s with arid and semi-arid landscapes which benefits diversity of it flora and fauna. The

terrain Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word ...

is created by

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

hills with steep slopes, the

loamy Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...

hills, terraces and dry ravines and gorges which are quickly transforming into one another resulting in a beautiful and photogenic landscape. Dark brown, alluvial and black soils as well as alkali soils are characteristic to the Chachuna Reserve.

Geology

Geologically Chachuna Managed Nature Reserve is located within

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

n intermountain region, in the

Molasse basin The Molasse basin (or North Alpine foreland basin) is a foreland basin north of the Alps which formed during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs. The basin formed as a result of the flexure of the European plate under the weight of the orogenic ...

, entirely within the intermountain depression of the Mtkvari River and is filled in with Molasse sediments. In Chachuna steppe one can find sands, sandstones, clay with characteristic layers of

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcano, volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used t ...

and limestone conglomerates. In the vicinity of reserve there are limestone sources of ceramic flux and

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

as well as limestone outcrops of

bitumen Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

composition and the

oil sands Oil sands, tar sands, crude bitumen, or bituminous sands, are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. Oil sands are either loose sands or partially consolidated sandstone containing a naturally occurring mixture of sand, clay, and wate ...

forming small lakes. This area is also known for its formula of cattle and millet limestone.

Climate

Chachuna reserve has a warm mild

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...

in large part due to vast

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

on the banks of the Iori river, in total marsh occupies 24 hectares of the reserve territory. The average temperature in January is -2.5 °C, and in July it is +22 °C in the shadow.

Flora

The Chachuni Managed Reserve has quite diverse flora despite the modest size of its territory. On the river Iori, the tugay floodplains are common, and various types of arid light forests, semi-desert and steppe vegetation can be found in the surrounding hills. The most common plant is an aspen ('' Populus tremula''). On floodplains also grows a few long-stalk oak ('' Quercus longipes''), wild pistachio tree ('' Pistacia mutica'') and white willow ('' Salix alba'').

Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

light arid forests are created by specimens of wild pistachio tree (''Pistacia mutica''), varieties of

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

trees ('' Juniperus oxycedrus, Juniperus foetidissima'', and ''

Juniperus polycarpos ''Juniperus polycarpos'', commonly known as Persian juniper, is species of juniper native to western Asia. Some authorities classify it as a subspecies or variety of ''Juniperus excelsa''."''Juniperus polycarpos''". ''The Plant List''. Accessed ...

''),

hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the p ...

and Caucasian hackberry (''

Celtis glabrata ''Celtis glabrata'' is a deciduous tree in the genus ''Celtis'', native to parts of eastern Europe and western Asia.USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2022. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonom ...

''). On the river banks and in the swamped areas there are reeds (''

Phragmites communis ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...

''),

Giant reed ''Arundo donax'' is a tall perennial cane. It is one of several so-called reed species. It has several common names including giant cane, elephant grass, carrizo, arundo, Spanish cane, Colorado river reed, wild cane, and giant reed. ''Arundo'' an ...

s ('' Arundo donax'') as well as the rare and threatened species Georgian iris (''

Iris iberica ''Iris iberica'' is a plant species in the genus ''Iris'', it is also in the subgenus ''Iris'' and in the section ''Oncocyclus''. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the Caucasus mountains of Armenia, eastern Georgia, and western Azerbaijan. It ...

'') and Eichlerian tulip (''

Tulipa eichleri Tulips (''Tulipa'') are a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm ...

'').

Fauna

The fauna of Chachuna

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

is very diverse.

Insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s found in great numbers are

grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshopp ...

s. Arachnids are represented by Sun spiders (

Solifugae Solifugae is an order of animals in the class Arachnida known variously as camel spiders, wind scorpions, sun spiders, or solifuges. The order includes more than 1,000 described species in about 147 genera. Despite the common names, they are ne ...

) and

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

s and are also widespread.

Reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s such as Greek Tortoise (

Testudo graeca The Greek tortoise (''Testudo graeca''), also known commonly as the spur-thighed tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. ''Testudo graeca'' is one of five species of Mediterranean tortoises (genera '' Testudo'' and '' Ag ...

) and very poisonous Levantine viper or ''Caucasian viper'' locally known as ''Gurza'' (

Macrovipera lebetina ''Macrovipera lebetinus'', known as the blunt-nosed viper, Lebetine viper, Levant viper,Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. ...

) are also found in reserve. There are 82 species of birds in Nature Reserve, including 10 bird species in the Red List of Georgia. Among well represented species are common wood pigeon ( Columba palumbus),

European turtle dove The European turtle dove (''Streptopelia turtur'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae, the doves and pigeons. It breeds over a wide area of the south western Palearctic including north Africa but migrates to northern sub-Saharan Africa t ...

(

Streptopelia turtur The European turtle dove (''Streptopelia turtur'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae, the doves and pigeons. It breeds over a wide area of the south western Palearctic including north Africa but migrates to northern sub-Saharan Africa to ...

Eurasian sparrowhawk The Eurasian sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nisus''), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred ...

(

Accipiter nisus The Eurasian sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nisus''), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred ...

northern goshawk The northern goshawk (; ''Accipiter gentilis'') is a species of medium-large bird of prey, raptor in the Family (biology), family Accipitridae, a family which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harrier (bird) ...

( Accipiter gentilis),

Magpie Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one ...

, chukar partridge(

Alectoris chukar The chukar partridge (''Alectoris chukar''), or simply chukar, is a Palearctic upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It has been considered to form a superspecies complex along with the rock partridge, Philby's partridge and Przeva ...

) and Eastern imperial eagle (

Aquila heliaca The eastern imperial eagle (''Aquila heliaca'') is a large bird of prey that breeds in southeastern Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign sta ...

). Exotic Griffon Vulture and

Egyptian Vulture The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture and the only member of the genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula and ...

made nests on

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cliffs and the Cinereous Vulture has it nests on

trees. The beautiful bird

Black francolin The black francolin (''Francolinus francolinus'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It was formerly known as the black partridge. It is the state bird of Haryana state, India (locally ...

is also widespread in this area. Numerous

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s include species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

s, jackal, Red fox ( Vulpes vulpes), hare (

Lepus europaeus The European hare (''Lepus europaeus''), also known as the brown hare, is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate, open country. Hares are herbivorous and feed mainly ...

), jungle cat (

Felis chaus The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat, swamp cat and jungle lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, littoral a ...

), lynx (

Lynx lynx The Eurasian lynx (''Lynx lynx'') is a medium-sized wild cat widely distributed from Northern, Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia and Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. It inhabits temperate and boreal forests up to an eleva ...

), badger (

Meles meles The European badger (''Meles meles''), also known as the Eurasian badger, is a badger species in the Family (biology), family Mustelidae native to almost all of Europe. It is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List as it has a wide range ...

) and

Wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

(

Sus scrofa The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...

). Rare in this area striped hyenas ( Hyaena hyaena) possibly still inhabit Chachuna Nature Reserve. In 2011 the IRI's Palaeontological Expedition found samples of

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

fauna in the territory of Vashlovani and Chachuna Nature Reserves.934 Scientists have discovered fossils of new species of animals in the Vashlovani and Chachuna Protected Areas
/ref>

References

{{authority control Managed reserves of Georgia (country) Protected areas established in 1996 Geography of Kakheti Tourist attractions in Kakheti