Erzi Nature Reserve
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Erzi Nature Reserve (russian: Эрзи заповедник) (also Erzee) 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) located on the northern slope of the
Greater Caucasus The Greater Caucasus ( az, Böyük Qafqaz, Бөјүк Гафгаз, بيوک قافقاز; ka, დიდი კავკასიონი, ''Didi K’avk’asioni''; russian: Большой Кавказ, ''Bolshoy Kavkaz'', sometimes translat ...
in the Dzheyrahsky Assinsky-basin, adjacent to the
Skalisty Range The Skalisty Range (russian: Скалистый хребет; sah, Скалистай) is a range of mountains in far North-eastern Russia, part of the East Siberian System. Administratively the mountain chain belongs to the Sakha Republic. The ...
(a chain of mid-height mountains that runs parallel to the main ridge of the Caucasus, but just to the north). Rivers in the reserve include the Assa and Armkhi that feed into the
Terek River The Terek (; , Tiyrk; , Tərč; , ; , ; , ''Terk''; , ; , ) is a major river in the Northern Caucasus. It originates in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region of Georgia (country), Georgia and flows through North Caucasus region of Russia into the Casp ...
. The northern third of the territory is forested, the ridge area is alpine meadows and mountain steppe. Over 160 historical and cultural sites are also protected by the reserve - martial towers, temples, necropolis tracts, sacred groves, and structures from ancient, medieval and later cultures, many of the
Ingush people The Ingush (, inh, ГIалгIай, translit=Ghalghaj, pronounced ) per Oxford dictionary "a member of a people living mainly in Ingushetia in the central Caucasus." Ingushetia is a federal republic of Russian Federation. The Ingush are predomi ...
. The reserve is situated in the
Dzheyrakhsky District Dzheyrakhsky District (russian: Джейра́хский райо́н; inh, ЖӀайраха шахьар, ) is an administrative and municipalLaw #5-RZ district (raion), one of the four in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia. It is located in the ...
of
Ingushetia Ingushetia (; russian: Ингуше́тия; inh, ГӀалгӏайче, Ghalghayče), officially the Republic of Ingushetia,; inh, Гӏалгӏай Мохк, Ghalghay Moxk is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. ...
.


Topography

The Erzi Reserve is in mountainous terrain on the north slope of the Caucasus. The
Assa River (Sunzha River) The Assa (Tsirtslovn-Tskhali, russian: Асса, Цирцловн-Цхали, ka, ასა, ce, Iaьса-хи, inh, Эса-хий) is a right tributary of the Sunzha in Georgia and Russia. It is located in Dusheti Municipality of Mtskheta-Mtia ...
and the Armkhi River run south to north through the reserve (the Assa is the western border), on their way to the Terek River which flows into the
Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
to the east. Through the reserve just north of the main ridge (which is of shales and sandstones) of the Caucasus runs a lower, parallel ridge of carbonate rock called the "Rocky Ridge" ( :ru:Скалистый хребет (Кавказ)). The depression between the main ridge and the Rocky Ridge is called the "north Jura". The landscape features mountain range spurs over deep river valleys, steep south slopes and gently sloping northern slopes. 2% of the reserve is rock and glacier above 3,500 meters.


Climate and Ecoregion

Erzi 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. One of the highest levels of species endemism and diversity in the world: 23% of vascular species, and 10% of vertebrates. The climate of Erzi is '' Humid continental climate, cool summer'' (
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 ...
'' (Dfc)''). This climate is characterised by long cold winters, and short, cool summers. In the Erzi reserve, altitude is the driver of local climate: below 2,000 meters the climate is warm and dry; above 2,000 meters it is cold and wet. The average number of days of precipitation is 113 days per year. Summer rains tend to be heavy and violent, due to rising thermal air current. The average temperature in January is , in July it is .


Flora and fauna

About one-third of the reserve is forested, mostly on the lower north slopes. The forests are mostly oak (on the Rocky Ridge and depression to 800 meters), and beech (to 1,500 meters) communities. Underbrush at the mid-level include sea buckthorn (
Hippophae ''Hippophae'' is the genus of sea buckthorns, deciduous shrubs in the family Elaeagnaceae. The name sea buckthorn may be hyphenated to avoid confusion with the unrelated true buckthorns (''Rhamnus'', family Rhamnaceae). It is also referred to a ...
), willow, gray alder, and in places extensive hazel. Approaching the sub-alpine zone the brush features Caucasian rhododendron. Above 2,000 meters but below the alpine zone at 2,500 meters is a belt of mountain forest-steppe: wheatgrass-wormwood-cereal xerophytic steppes on shallow meadow soils. The animal life of the reserve is still being inventories and studied, as the reserve is one of the newest in the system. As of 2016, 115 species of birds had been recorded, 60 species of mammals (15 of which were hooved, 10 were bats, and 20 were rodents).


Ecoeducation and access

As a strict nature reserve, the Erzi 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 half a dozen well-developed 'ecotourist' routes in the reserve, however, that are open to the public. Accommodations are available in buffer zones outside the park, and some excursions have daily bus service to the trail heads. Permits must be obtained in advance. The main office is in the city of
Nazran , ''Näsare'') is the largest city in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia. It served as the republic's capital in 1991–2000, until it was replaced with Magas, which was specially built for this purpose. It is the most populous city in the republic: ...
.


See also

* List of Russian Nature Reserves (class 1a 'zapovedniks') *
National Parks of Russia There are currently 64 national parks in Russia. Together they cover approximately . Overview Until the 1960s only nature reserves and ''zakazniks'' existed in the Soviet Union, so international experience in creating a form of protected areas i ...


References


External links


Map of Erzi Reserve, OpenStreetMap

Map of Erzee Reserve, ProtectedPlanet
{{Russian Zapovedniks Nature reserves in Russia Geography of Ingushetia Protected areas established in 2000 2000 establishments in Russia Zapovednik