Syrdarya–Turkestan State Regional Natural Park is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

in the

Turkistan Region Turkistan Region, formerly known as South Kazakhstan Region from 1992 to 2018 and Chimkent Region from 1963 to 1991, is the southernmost region of Kazakhstan, bordering Uzbekistan. It had a population of 2,088,510 as of the 2022 Kazakhstan cens ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

, which opened on 5 September 2012.

History

The Syrdarya–Turkestan State Regional Natural Park was established to protect ecosystems, archaeological sites, and historical-cultural monuments, as well as plants and animal species, some of which are rare or endangered. The park was established in 2010, through the merger of three existing state parks within Arys, Boralday, and Turkistan, and opened on September 5, 2012. The goal was to prioritize the

Syr Darya The Syr Darya ( ),; ; ; ; ; /. historically known as the Jaxartes ( , ), is a river in Central Asia. The name, which is Persian language, Persian, literally means ''Syr Sea'' or ''Syr River''. It originates in the Tian Shan, Tian Shan Mountain ...

river plain, in order to further protect the wildlife of the area. Additionally the Syr Darya river irrigates many of the agricultural regions in the whole of

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

. The area of the park is 120,000 hectares (roughly 296,526 acres). The total area of the park is divided into 4 functional zones – a protected area, an ecological stabilization zone, a zone of tourist and recreational activities, and a zone of limited economic activity. About 955 species of plants grow in the park, among which 40 species are listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a government published book of rare and endangered species within the country. The fauna of the park includes about 382 species of birds and animals. 109 of them are listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. One of the attractions of the park is the only nursery in the Republic of Kazakhstan to restore the population of

Bactrian deer The Bactrian deer (''Cervus hanglu bactrianus''), also called the Bukhara deer, Bokhara deer, or Bactrian wapiti, is a lowland subspecies of Central Asian red deer native to Central Asia. It is similar in ecology to the related Yarkand deer (' ...

(also known as Bukhara deer). The park has 25 species of bed bugs, from 8 taxonomy families have been found and studied. The Tutybulak cave is located in within the park and has been studied for the

archeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeolo ...

, specifically from the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

. It has become a site for ecological tourism. However in 2022, there have been concerns of the ecotourism causing environmental damage and pollution in the river.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Syrdarya-Turkestan State Regional Natural Park Turkistan Region Protected areas of Kazakhstan 2012 establishments in Kazakhstan

History

See also

References

External links