Caucasus Nature Reserve (russian: Кавказский государственный природный биосферный заповедник имени Х. Г. Шапошникова) (also Caucasus, or Kavkasky) is a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

zapovednik Zapovednik (russian: заповедник, plural , from the Russian , 'sacred, prohibited from disturbance, committed o protect committed o heritage; ) is an established term on the territory of the former Soviet Union for a protected area which ...

' (strict ecological reserve) covering a heavily mountainous section of the Northwest

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains, : pronounced * hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ, : pronounced * az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced * rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ * tr, Kafkas Dağla ...

. It is the largest and oldest in the territory of specially protected natural area in the Caucasus, having been created in 1924 as the Caucasian Bison Reserve. In 1979, the site was named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and in 1999 included in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2008 it was officially renamed after Khachatur (Christopher) G. Shaposhnikova the biologist who founded the reserve. The area is situated in the

Mostovsky District Mostovsky District (russian: Мостовский райо́н) is an administrative district (raion), one of the thirty-eight in Krasnodar Krai, Russia.Reference Information #34.01-707/13-03 As a municipal division, it is incorporated as Mostovs ...

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (russian: Краснода́рский край, r=Krasnodarsky kray, p=krəsnɐˈdarskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and administratively a part of ...

, covering an area of .

Topography

The Caucasus Reserve protects mountainous terrain. It is bounded on the south by

Sochi National Park Sochi National Park (russian: Сочинский национальный парк, also Sochinsky National Park) is Russia's oldest national park, established on May 5, 1983. It is located in the Western Caucasus, near the city of Sochi, in South ...

and the ridge of the Caucasus bordering on the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

(

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

). Altitudes range from 260 meters to 3,360 meters.

Climate and ecoregion

Caucasus is located in the

Caucasus mixed forests The Caucasus mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in the Caucasus Mountains, as well as the adjacent Lesser Caucasus range and the eastern end of the Pontic Mountains. Geography The ecoregion covers an area of , ext ...

ecoregion. This ecoregion is located along the Caucasus Mountains between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The region has one of the highest levels of species endemism and diversity in the world: 23% of vascular species, and 10% of vertebrates. The climate of Caucasus is

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

Cfa), a climate characterized by hot, humid summers and cool winters. In the Caucasus Reserve, however, the high range of altitudes leads to severe tundra climate at the highest elevations. The average temperature in January is 4.3 C degrees, in July it is 21 C degrees. Annual precipitation is 700 – 1,200 mm.

Flora and fauna

The plant life of the reserve is characterized by high biodiversity, reflecting the position of the site at the meeting point of several floral zones (temperate and sub-tropical) and with the widest range of altitude zones (from forested river valleys to mountain top tundra). The reserve has recorded 1,500 species of vascular plants, of which 20% are endemic to the Caucasus. Most of the territory is forested, with sub-alpine and alpine meadows at the higher elevations. The coniferous yew trees in the Khosta sector can reach an age of over 2,000 years. The typical trees of the lower elevations are oak and alder. The upper forest levels are more dark fir and spruce. The rest of the Caucasus Reserve differ from those of northern Europe by the presence of vines. The animal life of the reserve is noteworthy for the large number of species, particularly of large mammals. Scientists on the reserve have recorded 89 species of mammal, 15 species of reptile, 9 of amphibian, 21 of fish, over 100 species of mollusc, and more than 10,000 species of insect. Bird life is also prolific, with 248 species of bird, including 112 that nest within the borders of the reserve.

Eco-education and access

As a strict nature reserve, the Caucasus Reserve is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with 'environmental education' purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. There are several 'ecotourist' routes in the reserve, however, that are open to the public, but require permits to be obtained in advance. These routes are: * The Zoo. A captive animal complex. * Khosta Yew-Tree Grove. * Devil's Gate Canyon. 50 meter walls with 5 meter width. * Nature Reserve and Dolmen. A

dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were somet ...

is a single-chamber monolithic tomb. * Rope Adventure Park. Family activities with rope bridges, etc. The main office is in the city of

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

Gallery

File:PeakSakharnyPseashkho.JPG File:Autumn in Caucasian mountains2.jpg File:SAM 0925 Плющ.jpg File:Shisha River Canyon, Adygea, Верховья реки Шиша 2, Адыгея.jpg File:Acheshbok, Южные отроги горы Ачешбок на закате, драматичные погодные условия, горы Западного Кавказа.jpg File:Shisha River Canyon, Adygea, Верховья реки Шиша, Адыгея.jpg

References

External links

Map of Caucasus Reserve, OpenStreetMap

Map of Kavkasky Reserve, ProtectedPlanet
{{Russian Zapovedniks Nature reserves in Russia 1924 establishments in Russia Protected areas established in 1924 Geography of Krasnodar Krai Zapovednik