Kuznetsk Alatau Nature Reserve (russian: Кузнецкий Алатау заповедник) is a Russian '

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 whi ...

' (strict nature reserve) on the

Kuznetsk Alatau Kuznetsk Alatau (russian: Кузнецкий Алатау) is a mountain range in southern Siberia, Russia. The range rises in the Altai-Sayan region of the South Siberian Mountains, northwest of Mongolia. The Siberian Railway skirts the norther ...

, a mountain ridge in the Altai-Sayan mountain region in southwestern

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

. The Kuznetsk Alatau consists of several ranges of medium height, between which there are river valleys. The reserve is in the watershed of the

Tom River The Tom ( rus, Томь, p=tomʲ, cjs, Том) is a river in Russia, a right tributary of the Ob in Central Siberia. Its watershed lies within the Republic of Khakassia, Kemerovo Oblast, and Tomsk Oblast.Chuly River. It is spread over three districts of

Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast — Kuzbass (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть — Кузба́сс, translit=Kemerovskaya oblast — Kuzbass, ), also known simply as Kemerovo Oblast (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть, label=non ...

Tisulsky District Tisulsky District (russian: Тисульский райо́н) is an administrative district (raion), one of the nineteen in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia.Law #215-OZ As a municipal division, it is incorporated as Tisulsky Municipal District.Law #104-O ...

, Mezhdurechensky District, and

Novokuznetsky District Novokuznetsky District (russian: Новокузне́цкий райо́н) is an administrative district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Kemerovo Oblast, nineteen in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia.Law #215-OZ As a subdivisions of Russia# ...

. The reserve was established in 1989 and covers an area of .

Topography

The Kuznetsk Alatau Reserve has a terrain that organized on a series of three relatively flat levels ascending a mountain ridge cut with river valleys. It is on the western slope of the Kuznetsk Alatau ridge, and on the south by the Abakan Ridge of the Western

Sayan Mountains The Sayan Mountains (russian: Саяны ''Sajany''; mn, Соёны нуруу, ''Soyonï nurû''; otk, 𐰚𐰇𐰏𐰢𐰤, Kögmen) are a mountain range in southern Siberia, Russia (Buryatia, Irkutsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Tuva Republic ...

. The highest peak has an altitude of . 5-8% of the reserve is alpine, with terrain typical of glacial origin: troughs, cirque lakes, etc. Below the alpine belt, 1600–1250 meters, is a region of flattened land with scattered blocks of igneous rocks and tundra landscapes with dwarf willows, birches, sedges, mosses, lichens and some mountain bogs. About a third of the ridge is between 1250 and 1000 meters, and is covered with coniferous dark taiga and cedar forest. Through this are cut river valleys through layers of limestone and schists with rocky outcrops. The northwestern sector of the reserve, from 1000 to 800 meters, is pine and fir forest. The slopes are covered with limestone-free clay soil.

Climate and ecoregion

Kuznetsk Alatau is located in the ''

Sayan montane conifer forests The Sayan montane conifer forests ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0519) covers the mid-elevation levels of the Sayan Mountains, the high mountain range between the taiga of Siberia, Russia to the north, and the steppes of Mongolia to the south. The slopes of ...

'' ecoregion. This ecoregion covers the middle-elevations of the highest mountains in the Altai-Sayan mountain range of central Asia. It lies between the Siberian taiga to the north, and the Mongolian steppe to the south. The ecoregion is characterized by mountains desiccated with river valleys, high levels of precipitation, and high biodiversity. Flora is generally dependent on the elevation and terrain, with forest having three main subzones based on altitude: light needle-leaf sparse taiga, dark needle-leaf taiga, and dark taiga. The climate of Kuznetsk Alatau is '' Subarctic climate, without dry season'' (

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 ...

Subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

(Dfc)). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1–3 months above ) and cold, snowy winters (coldest month below ). In the Kuznetsk Reserve, July is the hottest month (); January is the coldest (). Precipitation ranges from 1,200 to 1,500 mm/year.

Flora and fauna

The plant life of the reserve is highly zoned by altitude. There are 235 species at the alpine level, 117 in the middle level, and 154 species in small plots of rocky steppe on the lower slopes. Scientists on the reserve have recorded 625 a total species of vascular plants. The animal life of the reserve is mostly that of the boreal taiga, with some mountain and steppe communities. The most common mammals are rodents. The beaver has been reintroduced and now inhabits most river valleys; the number of individuals was about 200-250 individuals in 2016. Kuznetsk is an Important Bird Area as designated by Birdlife International.

Ecoeducation and access

As a strict nature reserve, the Kuznetsk Alatau 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 three 'ecotourist' river rafting routes in the reserve, however, that are made available to guided tours for the public. These require permits to be obtained in advance. There is also a snowmobile route and an ecological center. The main office is in the city of Mezhdurechensk, Kemerovo Oblast.

References

External links