Position of the Almaty State Nature Reserve. Alma-Ata State Reserve. Almaty Nature Reserve: plants

The Almaty Nature Reserve has a difficult history. It was created on May 15, 1931 as Malo-Alma-Ata with an area of ​​15 thousand hectares. In 1935, after increasing its area to 40 thousand hectares, and then to 856,680 hectares, it became known as Alma-Ata and, in addition to the Malaya Alma-Ata basin, included the Zhalanash and Sogetinsky valleys with adjacent mountains. However, in 1939, the transfer of certain sections of its territory to various organizations began, and in 1951 the reserve was liquidated. Only on July 31, 1961, by resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR No. 524, the reserve was restored, but already on the territory of the Chilik, Tabankaragai and Tauchilik forest dachas. Three years later, in 1964, it was moved to modern territory— in the basin of the Issyk and Talgar rivers. Currently, the reserve covers an area of ​​71,700 hectares. The central estate is located in the city of Talgar, 25 km from Almaty. The main goal of the reserve is to preserve the natural complexes of the central part of the Trans-Ili Alatau, including objects of flora and fauna, as well as to study the patterns of the natural development of these complexes. The Trans-Ili Alatau ridge is the location of the reserve, located in the north of the Tien Shan mountain system. In its central part it forms the Talgar mountain cluster, where it reaches its maximum height (Talgar peak - 4979 m above sea level). In the protected area, several powerful spurs branch off from the main ridge of the Trans-Ili Alatau, which are river watersheds. The most abundant rivers are the South-Eastern, Left, Middle and Right Talgars, as well as the Issyk and Southern Issyk. With a relatively small depth (up to 1 m) and width (from 5 to 10 m), their rapid flow is due to a large difference in heights. The energy of water is so great that monolithic rocks are ground down, crushed and ground into sand, giving way to its powerful onslaught. The upper reaches of large rivers, originating in glaciers, enliven moraine and dam lakes. The largest lake Muzkol is located in the upper reaches of the river. Issyk (3600 m above sea level), its area is 46,300 m², and its depth is 25.5 m. In the basin of this river there are two lakes of landslide-tectonic origin - Issyk and Akkol. The beautiful Lake Issyk existed in its original form until 1963. On a hot July day, a destructive mudflow broke through a natural dam in a matter of minutes and wiped out the picturesque mountain wonder from the face of the earth. There are many others on the territory of the reserve unique creations nature. In the upper reaches of the Straight Slit tract there is the largest glacier in the Northern Tien Shan, about 3.5 km long. It moves at a speed of several tens of centimeters per year and has the lowest location (2400 m above sea level) among the active glaciers in the region. There are also thermal springs in the reserve, for example, in the zone of underground faults in the river basin. Talgar (1850 m above sea level). The waters of the springs are radon and sodium. The wide variety of natural conditions of the reserve territory is primarily due to the clearly defined altitudinal zonation. Low-mountain landscapes are represented in the altitude range from 1200 to 1800 m above sea level. On the northern slopes, deciduous forests of birch, aspen, apple and apricot alternate with tall grass meadows and thickets of bushes. The soils are mountain-forest and mountain-steppe, sometimes rocky. On the southern slopes, cereal-forb steppes on mountain leached chernozems predominate, as well as shrub thickets with meadowsweet, rose hips, honeysuckle and creeping Cossack juniper. The middle mountains (up to 2800 m) occupy the forest-meadow-steppe belt. On the northern slopes and areas with deeply dissected relief, dense islands of forests of Schrenk spruce are common - an unusually spectacular decoration of the mountains of the reserve in all seasons of the year. The subalpine belt (2700-3100 m) is characterized by good turf on the slopes. The hilly-moraine valley bottoms are occupied by cobresia-forb subalpine meadows. The northern slopes are covered with forb-grass meadows with dense grass. In flat depressions there are damp alpine meadows - saz. The Alpine belt extends to the foot of modern moraines and glaciers (3400 m). The lower half of the belt is dominated by cobresia meadows, and the upper half is dominated by forb-cobresia lawns. Low areas are occupied by grass and forb meadows, which stand out brightly with their variegation flowering species. The soils under these meadows are thin, peaty, and sometimes slightly swampy. High-mountain steppes are common on the fine-earth slopes of southern exposure. The soils of such areas are heavily rubbled from the very surface. The upper part of the mountains is occupied by a glacial-nival zone, where two altitudinal zones are clearly distinguished. In the nival (3400-3900 m) rock-talus landscapes with sparse herbaceous vegetation dominate. The glacial belt (above 3900 m) is a belt of rocks, snow and ice. Flora of the Almaty Nature Reserve The flora of the reserve is rich and diverse. Its flora includes about 1,100 species of higher plants. More than 50 species are rare, 26 of which are listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. In the lower zone of the mountains there are apricot, Mushketov's curly, Sievers' apple tree, extremely rarely Nedzvetsky's apple tree, Caucasian hackberry, Altai gymnospermium. On the steppe of other southern slopes there are Kolpakovsky and Ostrovsky tulips, very rarely Albert's iris and Kolpakovsky iridodictium. In the middle zone, Wittrock's rhubarb is common, Semenov's corydalis, orange jaundice, Alma-Ata hollywort, golden and Tien Shan adonis, and Semenov's cortuza are very rare. But the rarest and most original Red Book species are found in the hard-to-reach highlands of the reserve: Tien Shan Siberian in the upper reaches of Chilik, completely unusual in appearance, Saussurea wrapped in the vicinity of Lake Bozkul and along the outskirts of the Korzhenevsky and Constitution glaciers, cobwebby-fluffy and at the same time prickly Schmalgausenia on the ancient moraines of Issyk and Chilik. In the upper reaches of the Issyk, such rare endemics as the glacial parsnip and the Alma-Ata headwort were collected and described for the first time. Only in the valley of this river were large-fruited and unusually aromatic Yanchevsky currants found, on the meadow slopes of the river. Right Talgar - Kumbel hawkweed; in the Middle Talgar valley and the upper reaches of Chilik - the original Alatau speedwell with snow-white flowers. Of the food varieties, the most important are wild fruits and berries: apple trees, apricots, barberries, Meyer currants, Tien Shan rowan, hawthorns, stone fruits, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and sea buckthorn. Medicinal plants are found everywhere: horsetail, hops, rose hips, Ural licorice, laxative jester, St. John's wort, coltsfoot, Turkestan motherwort, oregano, common patrinia, elecampane, common yarrow, a significant part of which is recognized by scientific medicine. Plants such as codonopsis clematis, fireweed, Djungarian fighter, celandine, Ili larkspur, etc., are proven folk remedies. Fauna of the Almaty Nature Reserve The wildlife of the reserve is very rich. The number of invertebrate species is unknown, but huge species diversity they are obvious: to date, about 2000 species from 8 classes have already been identified. When visiting the reserve, you first of all pay attention to the bright daytime butterflies, of which at least 135 species live here: from the most large sailboats to small blueberries. The composition of some other groups of insects has been partially determined. Thus, from the order of beetles, 252 species of ground beetles and 102 species of leaf beetles are known; of Hymenoptera - 110 species of bees, 33 species of ants, 97 species of burrowing wasps. We can confidently predict the presence of at least 6 thousand species of insects on the territory of the reserve. Of all this diversity, only 12 species are included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. These are dragonflies - a noticeable mace-bellied, a watchman-emperor, a beautiful girl; Orthoptera - steppe rack; Homoptera - Jacobson's nostril; beetles - Semenov's beetle, two-spotted chylocorus, dotted ladybird, large root beetle; diurnal swallowtail butterflies - bedromius and patrician, Ershov's jaundice and Tatyana's blueberry. Among other invertebrates, 4 species of gastropods of terrestrial mollusks are included in the Red Book. The vertebrate fauna includes 225 species, including: 3 fish, 2 amphibians, 6 reptiles, 172 birds and 42 mammals. The waters of the Chilik River within the boundaries of the reserve are inhabited by Strauch's loach, naked and scaly osmans - all 3 species of fish. The green toad is found everywhere, and the lake frog is found in the protected zone (Talgar and Issyk basins). Among the reptiles, the most common lizards are the Alai gologla and the poisonous snake, the copperhead, which are found up to the Alpine belt. The patterned snake lives in the lower and mid-mountain zones. Here, but only on the southern slopes, you can occasionally see steppe viper, and in standing reservoirs - common and water snakes. The distribution of birds throughout the reserve is closely related to the ecological conditions of nesting. Bluebirds, common and brown dippers nest near turbulent rivers and streams, waders (sickbill and waders) nest on gently sloping pebbles, masked and mountain wagtails nest under boulders, snags and in cliff niches, and black-backed yellow-headed wagtails nest in marshy areas overgrown with myricaria. and maned caragana. Nests of quail, corncrake and common cricket are noted in the tall grass meadows of the forest belt. The stonechat prefers southern sedate areas. The meadows of the upper zones with juniper bushes and rock outcrops are occupied by the mountain pipit, the Himalayan Accentor and the Himalayan finch. The common wheatear builds its homes in alpine meadows next to colonies of gray marmots and quite often in their abandoned burrows. Birds of the bush thickets are represented by: Gray Warbler, Common Rosefinch, Red-backed Redstart, Black-breasted Rubythroat, Painted Titmouse and others. Most birds nest in forest biotopes. Ten species of birds in the reserve are listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. Six of them (golden eagle, bearded vulture, kumai, shahin, sicklebeak, bluebird) nest here, three (black stork, pygmy eagle, eagle owl) are periodically encountered in the summer, and the peregrine falcon visits in the winter. The complex mountainous terrain and exceptional diversity of microclimate and vegetation also affect the distribution of mammals. Lives among large rocky screes along rivers and streams stone marten. Its main prey is mouse-like rodents, but in the fall its diet often includes the fruits of rowan, hawthorn, and apple trees. More than ten species of animals live in the forest belt. The badger makes burrows under bushes and trees. In the spring it feeds mainly on beetles, which it eats in huge quantities; in the summer it switches to plant foods- berries and fruits. It often destroys bird nests by eating their contents. Roe deer are most often found in the lower and middle parts of the mountains, and deer, on the contrary, are found in upper limit spruce forests and juniper forests of the subalpine belt. The bear lives in spruce forests and subalpine meadows, but in the fall it goes down and feeds mainly on wild apples. In the middle of the last century, the teledut squirrel was acclimatized in spruce forests, which has now become a common species, and, according to some foresters, greatly harms the regeneration of spruce forests. At the lower border of spruce forests and in fruit forests there are numerous forest dormouse. On the northern slopes of the forest belt, lynx is found, the main prey of which is roe deer, tolai hares, black grouse and other species of animals and birds. Colonies of gray marmots are not uncommon in the subalpine and alpine zones. In early spring, the animals emerge from their burrows after hibernation and intensively accumulate fat in order to go into another hibernation for 7-8 months. There are numerous mountain goats - typical inhabitants of the highlands. In summer they stay at the very edge of snowfields and glaciers among stone placers, in winter they descend into the forest belt, where they adhere to the southern slopes with little snow. Following them, snow leopards descend and mainly hunt these ungulates.

The Almaty Nature Reserve has a difficult history. It was created on May 15, 1931 as Malo-Alma-Ata with an area of ​​15,000 hectares. In 1935, after increasing its area to 40,000 hectares, and then to 856,680 hectares, it became known as Alma-Ata and, in addition to the Malaya Almaatinka basin, already included the Zhalanash and Sogetinsky valleys with adjacent mountains. However, in 1939, the transfer of certain sections of its territory to various organizations began, and in 1951 the reserve was liquidated.

Only on July 31, 1961, by resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR No. 524, the reserve was restored, but already on the territory of the Chilik, Tabankaragai and Tauchilik forest dachas. Three years later, in 1964, it was moved to modern territory - to the basin of the Issyk and Talgar rivers. Currently, the reserve covers an area of ​​71,700 hectares. The central estate is located in the city of Talgar, 25 km from Almaty.

The main goal of the reserve is to preserve the natural complexes of the central part of the Trans-Ili Alatau, including objects of flora and fauna, as well as to study the patterns of the natural development of these complexes.

The Trans-Ili Alatau ridge is the location of the reserve, located in the north of the Tien Shan mountain system. In its central part it forms the Talgar mountain cluster, where it reaches its maximum height (Talgar peak - 4979 m above sea level). In the protected area, several powerful spurs branch off from the main ridge of the Trans-Ili Alatau, which are river watersheds. The most abundant rivers are the South-Eastern, Left, Middle and Right Talgars, as well as the Issyk and Southern Issyk. With a relatively small depth (up to 1 m) and width (from 5 to 10 m), their rapid flow is due to a large difference in heights. The energy of water is so great that monolithic rocks are ground down, crushed and ground into sand, giving way to its powerful onslaught. The raging mass rushes down with a roar, dragging along huge stone boulders, and sometimes demolishes concrete engineering structures.

The upper reaches of large rivers, originating in glaciers, enliven moraine and dam lakes. The largest lake Muzkol is located in the upper reaches of the river. Issyk (3600 m above sea level), its area is 46,300 sq.m, and its depth is 25.5 m. In the basin of this river there are two lakes of landslide-tectonic origin - Issyk and Akkol. The beautiful Lake Issyk existed in its original form until 1963. On a hot July day, a destructive mudflow broke through a natural dam in a matter of minutes and wiped out the picturesque mountain wonder from the face of the earth. The preserved eastern bay of the lake is now slowly filling with water and gradually enlarging.

All large rivers and lakes receive their main supply from the melting of glaciers, of which there are a lot in the reserve. There are 113 of them on the northern side of the ridge alone. The largest glacier is Shokalsky, located in the river basin. Middle Talgar is almost 5 km long. It pulsates with a periodicity of 20-24 years. The glacier's tongue cracks into numerous blocks and quickly moves down. On south side On the ridge at the sources of the Chilik River there is a powerful site of modern glaciation, which includes 86 glaciers. The largest of them are the Korzhenevsky glacier, about 12 km long, and the Bogatyr glacier, more than 8 km long.

There are many other unique creations of nature on the territory of the reserve. In the upper reaches of the Straight Slit tract there is the largest glacier in the Northern Tien Shan, about 3.5 km long. It moves at a speed of several tens of centimeters per year and has the lowest location (2400 m above sea level) among the active glaciers in the region. There are also thermal springs in the reserve, for example, in the zone of underground faults in the river basin. Talgar (1850 m above sea level). The waters of the springs are radon and sodium.

The wide variety of natural conditions of the reserve territory is primarily due to the clearly defined altitudinal zonation.

Low mountain landscapes are represented in the altitude range from 1200 to 1800 m above sea level. seas. In the upper part of the low-mountain belt there are frequent outcrops of bedrock on steep slopes, but in general soft forms of relief predominate. On the northern slopes, deciduous forests of birch, aspen, apple and apricot alternate with tall grass meadows and thickets of bushes. The soils are mountain forest and mountain steppe, rocky in places. On the southern slopes, cereal-forb steppes on mountain leached chernozems predominate, as well as shrub thickets with meadowsweet, rose hips, honeysuckle and creeping Cossack juniper.

The middle mountains (up to 2800 m) occupy the forest-meadow-steppe belt. On the northern slopes and areas with deeply dissected relief, dense islands of forests of Schrenk spruce are common - an unusually spectacular decoration of the mountains of the reserve in all seasons of the year. The gentler slopes are occupied by meadows with rich grass. In the upper part of the slopes there are frequent outcrops of rocks and large rocky screes. Thickets of birch, various types of willows and Talas poplar stretch in a narrow strip along the river valleys, and spruce in the upper part. The southern slopes are occupied by grass and forb steppes. The relief is characterized by relatively shallow but dense dissection. The soils of the forest-meadow belt are also diverse. Dark-colored chernozem-like soils are developed under the canopy of spruce forests, and mountain-meadow and mountain-steppe soils are developed in treeless areas.

The subalpine belt (2700-3100 m) is characterized by good turf on the slopes. The hilly-moraine valley bottoms are occupied by cobresia-forb subalpine meadows. The northern slopes are covered with forb-grass meadows with dense grass. In flat depressions there are damp alpine meadows - saz. The southern slopes at the upper border of the forest are bordered by dense thickets of creeping juniper, and the clearings are covered with meadow-steppe vegetation. Significant areas here are occupied by screes and rock outcrops. The soils of the subalpine zone are predominantly mountain meadow, and in wet meadows they are meadow-swamp.

The Alpine belt extends to the foot of modern moraines and glaciers (3400 m). The lower half of the belt is dominated by cobresia meadows, and the upper half is dominated by forb-cobresia lawns. The low areas are occupied by grass and forb meadows, which are distinguished by the diversity of brightly flowering species. The soils under these meadows are thin, peaty, and sometimes slightly swampy. High-mountain steppes are common on the fine-grained slopes of southern exposure. The soils of such areas are heavily rubbled from the very surface.

The upper part of the mountains is occupied by a glacial-nival zone, where two altitudinal zones are clearly distinguished. In the nival (3400-3900 m) rock-talus landscapes with sparse herbaceous vegetation dominate. The glacial belt (above 3900 m) is a belt of rocks, snow and ice.

The reserve was organized in May 1931 in the river basin. Malaya Almatinka on an area of ​​about 13,000 hectares. Already by 1935, the territory of the reserve amounted to more than 600,000 hectares. In February 1935, the reserve was given state status, and over the next 5 years its area reached almost 1 million hectares. Everything was reserved , adjacent semi-desert territory to the river. Or the deserted mountain ranges of Turaigyr, Boguty and Syugaty. The northern slope of the Trans-Ili Alatau was covered with magnificent coniferous and deciduous forests, and a huge tract of saxaul forests stretched along the left bank of the Ili. The floristic composition included more than 1,500 species. Many birds and animals lived in protected areas; Only in the Syugatinskaya Valley did thousands of flocks of goitered gazelles roam, now listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan and most Central Asian republics. In the post-war years, a gradual reduction of protected areas began. First, forest areas were confiscated, then hayfields and other lands. In September 1951, the final liquidation of the reserve took place, which shared the sad fate of many reserves in the country in those years.

The question of its restoration was raised by a group of scientists and public figures in Kazakhstan, and in January 1960 it was restored. The reserve is located in the central part of the Trans-Ili Alatau on an area of ​​73,325 hectares, 25 km east of the southern capital of Kazakhstan Almaty, in the Talgar district of the Almaty region.
From 1966 to 1983, the reserve included the Kalkany tract (semi-desert zone) with an area of ​​17,800 hectares with the unique natural monument “Singing Dune”. The tract is located 160 km from the central estate. In 1983, this tract was transferred to the Kapchagai hunting reserve for kulanarium, and is now under the jurisdiction of the National natural park Altyn-Emel.
Main part protected area approximately three quarters - located on the northern slope of the Trans-Ili Alatau. Western border this part runs along the river. Left Talgar, northern - along the river. The right is Talgar, and the eastern along the ridge of the high spur separating the valleys of the Issyk and Turgen rivers. The length of this part from west to east is more than 32 km in a straight line. The rest of the territory is located on the southern slope of the Trans-Ili Alatau. The southern border of the reserve runs near the Toguzak pass along the river. South-Eastern Talgar and the upper reaches of the river. Chilik to the spur between the Kosbulak-2 and Tamchi rivers. The border of the protected area is bordered by a two-kilometer protective zone.

The reserve is located on the slopes of the central part of the Trans-Ili Alatau - a high ridge in the south-east of Kazakhstan. Together with the neighboring ridges Ketmen, Kungei-Alatau, Kyrgyz, Talas and others belongs to the Northern Tien Shan province.

The Northern Tien Shan is located in the northern desert subzone of the inland temperate desert zone. with its northern slope it is in direct contact with a narrow strip (40-60 km) of wormwood-hodgepodge deserts of the Ili depression, behind which vast expanses of ridged and hilly sands of the Southern Balkhash region begin.

Structure altitudinal zone The Northern Tien Shan is very unique. The reserve represents all altitudinal zones, except for low-mountain ones. steppe zone with a belt of cereal-forb steppes.

The main landscapes of the reserve are typical of the Northern Tien Shan: highly dissected slopes with steep sharp ridges and narrow deep gorges, small areas deciduous and spruce forests, significant areas of subalpine meadows with juniper thickets and, finally, huge tracts of talus, moraines and rocks devoid of vegetation.

But the appearance of the reserve also has its own, inimitable, unique quality. The mountain slopes, crowned by a powerful ridge of peaks covered with ice and snow, sharply contrasting with the foothill deserts, irresistibly attract you at all times of the year. Within the reserve, the main ridge of the Trans-Ili Alatau reaches its greatest height and does not fall below 4200 m above sea level. seas. It is here that most of the peaks of the ridge are located, with a height of more than 4500 m. The giant peaks stand out with particular harsh beauty: Bogatyr (4626 m), Kopr (4631), Aktau (4686), Metallurg (4600 m). The most impressive peak is Talgar (5017 m) -highest point the entire ridge, clearly visible from the foothill plain many tens of kilometers away. The peaks, “headed” by Talgar Peak, form a powerful Talgar knot, occupying the entire middle part of the reserve. This is one of the centers of modern glaciation in the Trans-Ili Alatau; the largest glaciers of the Northern Tien Shan are concentrated here: the Korzhenevsky glacier and the Bogatyr glacier. The first reaches a length of 11 km and has an area of ​​38 km2. The second one is slightly inferior to it: length 9.1 km, area 30.3 km2. The glaciers of Shokalsky, Grigoriev, Kassin, Palgov, Kalesnik and others are almost equally extensive.

The main orographic pattern of the northern part of the reserve is created by the Talgar massif and three spurs extending from it with rocky ridges, firn fields and glaciers. Both the massif and the spurs have a typical glacial-nival relief.

This belt is relatively clearly limited by the lower parts of the glaciers (3200-3400 m) and the snow line, which lies in the range of 3700-3900 m. Below it - to the upper limit of the spruce forests (2700-2800 m) - the relief has a high-mountain, steep-slope character. Significant areas of ridges and slopes, as a result of intense processes of destruction and massive movement of clastic remains, are exposed rocky cliffs, and couloirs and high talus cones are common on the slopes. Everywhere there are fragments of rocks of various sizes and shapes. Numerous funnel-shaped depressions in the spring collect significant masses of melt water, which then rushes down in stormy streams, capturing a huge amount of crushed stone and gravel. The beds of such temporary watercourses end in powerful alluvial fans.

The remaining area of ​​the northern part of the reserve belongs to the middle mountains and has a steep, sometimes highly dissected topography. It is especially well expressed in the Talgar area. On the slopes there are numerous outcrops of bedrock in the form of rocky massifs and individual cliffs. Vast areas of scree are common.

The southern part of the reserve is distinguished by the predominance of glacial-nival landforms, especially in the basins of the South-Eastern Talgar and South Issyk rivers. This is where the Bogatyr and Korzhenevsky glaciers are located. Further to the east, the slopes are dissected by short (5-7 km) transverse valleys and rocky spurs extending from the main ridge.

In the upper reaches of the Issyk gorge there are two high-mountain moraine lakes - Ak-Kol (White), lying at an altitude of 3140 m, and Muz-Kol (Ice) 3400 m. Glaciers sparkle dazzlingly - Zharsay, Palgova, Grigoryeva, etc.

The Talgar section includes three gorges - Left, Right and Middle Talgar. The longest of them - Left Talgar (more than 30 km) - has, like most others, a direction from south to north. On the southern slope of the Trans-Ili Alatau there are the protected gorges of South-Eastern Talgar, South Issyk and a number of other smaller gorges (Shubar, Kosbulak, Tamchi).

The upper reaches of all the gorges of the reserve begin in the highlands - at an altitude of 3500-3600 m. Here they are quite wide (300-500 m) and have the character of spurs - flattened trough-shaped valleys, plowed by large glaciers. Various moraines are common here, consisting of piles of large fragmentary blocks with sharp edges.

A significant part of the reserve's territory is covered with rock fragments, crushed stone, sandy-clayey conglomerates, and gravel. Mountain rivers, streams and temporary streams constantly transport them to the lower parts of the slopes. Rocky massifs, ridges and cliffs are composed mainly of granites, granodiorites and syenites.

The reserve is characterized by widespread development of modern glaciation. Only in the river basin Issyk has 49 glaciers (with an area of ​​53 km2). There are a total of 160 glaciers in the reserve (with a total area of ​​233.7 km2) out of 466 known in the Trans-Ili Alatau.

The river network is well developed. Quite turbulent rivers 5-7 m wide and up to 1 m deep flow along the bottom of most gorges; a lot of keys. In the northern part of the territory, the largest (from 16 to 28 km long) rivers are the Issyk, Left Talgar, Right Talgar and Middle Talgar. In the southern part, the South-Eastern Talgar (13 km), originating from the Bogatyr glacier, and the Southern Issyk (10 km), flowing from the Korzhenevsky glacier, flow into it. Both rivers are very full-flowing, especially in the warm season. South-Eastern Talgar and Zhangyryk, merging, give rise to the river. Chilik is the largest in the Northern Tien Shan. Chilik flows 10-12 km along the border of the reserve.

The rivers are fed mainly by seasonal melting of snow, firn fields and glaciers. The flood period begins in April and lasts throughout spring and summer. On some hot days, as well as after heavy rains, the rivers turn into roaring mad streams, destroying the banks and carrying large stones, gravel and sand. In winter, the rivers have low water and do not freeze, but they form powerful ice dams on bends and turns, and in narrow places there are arched cornices of ice and snow between the banks.

There are almost three dozen small (from 0.1 to 3.8 hectares) high-mountain moraine and glacial lakes in the reserve. All of them lie in the beds of temporary watercourses and feed mainly melt water. These lakes are usually very deep and store significant volumes of water

Climate
The climate of the reserve is sharply continental, typical of the Northern Tien Shan. Its main features are significant solar radiation and complex seasonal nature atmospheric circulation. The climate of the mid-mountain zone is generally moderate continental. Average annual temperature air ranges from 6.8° at the bottom to 0.8° at the top. Minimum average monthly temperatures are observed in January (from -4.3 ° in the lower part to -9.7 ° in the upper part), the maximum in July (from 18.1 ° to 10.6 °). The duration of the frost-free period is 145 days at the bottom (with the sum of average daily temperatures above 10° at 2245°) and 90 days at the top (585°). Precipitation per year averages from 830 to 870 mm, including 570-640 mm during the warm period. The humidification coefficient varies from bottom to top from 1.15 to 1.95. Snow cover lasts 160-190 days and reaches 60-80 cm. Spring is characterized by a rapid increase in average daily air temperatures and a significant amount of precipitation. At the beginning of summer (June), the weather is usually cool, there is a lot of sun, but not hot, and there is a moderate amount of precipitation. In July-August there is little precipitation - a period of drought sets in (even at altitudes above 2500 m). At the end of September, the approach of autumn becomes noticeable. Average daily air temperatures drop sharply. In autumn, clear weather prevails. At the end of October or beginning of November, the first snow falls in the lower part of the zone, and winter weather sets in at altitudes above 2500 m.

The climate of the highlands is sharply continental and cold. There are frequent frosts here even in summer at night. Summer is short, with unstable, variable weather. The average daily temperature in July is 5-8°, and the maximum daily temperature is 18-20°. The summer period accounts for the maximum precipitation: 60% of the annual amount. Rainfall often turns into snow pellets or small hail. The growing season is short: no more than 53 days. Winter sets in already at the beginning of October. average temperature air in January is from -10.2 to -13.9°, and the minimum is -34°. On snowless slopes, the soil freezes to a considerable depth. The height of the snow cover on average reaches 65-90 cm. The snow melts in late April - early May. The average annual air temperature is from -2.4 to -4°. The average annual precipitation is about 6770 mm, including 450 mm in the warm period. At altitudes above 3200 m, permafrost is widespread.

In the glacial-nival zone the climate is the most severe, close to the Arctic. The average annual air temperature in the lower part of the zone (3600 m) is -8°, and at altitudes above 4000 m - down to -12° and lower. There is no usual division of the year into four seasons. Even in June average monthly temperature the air temperature is negative, and snow falls all year round. The number of days with snowstorms is 15-20. Thaws are extremely rare. The sum of positive temperatures ranges from 178 to 443°, and in cold summers from 55 to 170°. Heavy snowfalls are frequent. From 800 to 1300 mm of precipitation falls annually. The duration of sunshine is about 2000 hours per year.

On the northern slope of the central part of the Trans-Ili Alatau, altitudinal belts are well defined: plain-foothill steppe, foothill-mid-mountain forest-meadow-steppe (divided into foothill deciduous forest (1200-1700 m) and mid-mountain coniferous-forest (1500-2800 m), high-mountain meadow-steppe (divided to the belt of subalpine meadows and meadow-steppes (2500-3100 m), the belt of alpine meadows and meadow-steppes (3000-3500 m) and glacial-nival.

Typical landscapes of the deciduous forest belt - apple-apricot and aspen forests with a well-developed shrub undergrowth - are found mainly in the lower parts of all main gorges and occupy small areas: from 30 to 325 hectares. Here, along the rocky slopes of western and southern orientation, open apricot patches are common. Poplar forests, usually small ones, and birch forests, as well as willow thickets, are typical in river valleys.

The coniferous forest belt is represented by spruce forests (over 2800 hectares). Areas of these forests, interspersed with tall grass meadows, form a kind of mosaic. Clearings with screes and bedrock outcrops are common. Well-insulated areas are occupied by grass-forb steppes and shrubs. In places of former felling, spruce has been replaced by deciduous species - mountain willow and mountain ash. Spruce clearings are widespread, and in the subalpine zone there are thickets of creeping juniper (over 2000 hectares).

Mountain-meadow and mountain-steppe landscapes of middle and high mountains occupy about 6,400 hectares. Scree, coarse placers and bare, steep slopes devoid of any vegetation are also widespread here. Their total area is about 20,000 hectares, i.e. more than a quarter of the territory. Large area The reserve is occupied by landscapes of the glacial-nival zone - rocks (over 13,000 hectares), eternal snow, firn fields and glaciers (about 23,400 hectares).

Almost the entire territory of the reserve is difficult to access, and the Talgar massif is accessible only to climbers. Roads (suitable for all-terrain vehicles) stretch along the boundaries of the reserve in the lower part of Left Talgar for 6 km, Right Talgar for 8 km and Issyk for 7 km. There are few trails, they are badly destroyed and in some places difficult to pass.

There are frequent landslides in the reserve, snow avalanches, rockfalls, collapses and landslides. Mudflows destroy slopes, create deep canyons in places where boulders fall and pile up below, dam up rivers and sharply increase the water level in them after the rubble breaks through. In July 1979, a mudflow destroyed most of the Talgar climbing camp. Sometimes large mudflows occur, several hundred thousand and even millions of cubic meters. Such powerful flows bring catastrophic destruction. Thus, on July 7, 1963, a mudflow with a volume of about 3 million m3 almost completely filled up a large lake in four hours. Issyk. The occurrence of such mudflows is usually associated with anthropogenic disturbances of mountain landscapes.

Avalanches are also dangerous. They descend annually in March - April. Sometimes avalanches of hundreds and thousands of cubic meters are formed, which have enormous destructive power. Landslides and rockfalls are also common in the reserve, especially in the nival zone in the upper reaches of the Chilik, Issyk rivers and all gorges of the Talgar section.

The reserve is located in a zone of high seismic activity. Tremors, especially strong ones, almost always entail catastrophic rockfalls, landslides, mudflows and others natural disasters.

Vegetation
in the Northern Tien Shan system it is allocated to a special orographic district, Zailiysky. Here the northern and southern slopes of the main ridges differ well in the nature of vegetation. High-mountain plateau-like peaks and internal intermountain valleys are also distinguished by a number of geobotanical features.

Within the Trans-Ili district, several geobotanical regions are distinguished, including 3 regions on the northern slope of the Trans-Ili Alatau - central, eastern and western. central District, in which the reserve is located, extends from the river. Bolshaya Almatinka in the west to the river. Turgen in the east. The forest-meadow-steppe belt is well developed here, the lower boundary of which runs approximately at an altitude of 1200-1400 m, and the upper boundary at 2600-2700 m. The lower part of this belt is characterized by a strip deciduous forests from aspen, apple, apricot, hawthorn, buckthorn, rowan, bird cherry. Schrenck spruce forests and associated tall grass meadows are also most fully represented here. Characteristic is the almost complete absence of forest plantations on the southern slopes.

The flora of the reserve includes 930 species belonging to 406 genera from 77 families. The protected area contains 13 species of trees, 63 shrubs, 4 shrubs, 3 subshrubs, 3 lianas, 79 annuals, 50 biennials and 712 species of perennials.

The most diverse families are represented by the Asteraceae family - 143 species, Poaaceae - 93, Rosaceae - 76, Legumes - 66 and Cruciferae - 55 species.

Endemics of the reserve: Albert's iris, Mushketov's curlyweed, Almaty's hollyweed, glacial parsnip, Semenova's cortuza, Alatau speedwell, Almaty's hawkweed, Kumbel's hawkweed. Endemics of the Northern Tien Shan - 15 species: Tien Shan poppy, saffron jaundice, Almaty hawthorn, Talgar hollyhock, Trans-Ili cousinia, Djungarian dandelion, Trans-Ili wormwood, steppe peony, Ostrovsky tulip, etc. In the flora of the reserve there are 18 relicts: Schrenk spruce, Caucasian hackberry, golden adonis, saffron jaundice, Sievers apple tree, green strawberry, common apricot, Schmalhausen astragalus, glacial parsnip, Saussurea involucans, etc.

Plants that deserve special attention and careful protection include rare Central Asian and Palaearctic species, the southern border of whose range runs through the territory of the reserve: warty birch, wild strawberry, golden strawberry, etc., as well as mountainous Central Asian species, such as Rhodiola rosea.

Five species of plants of the reserve are listed in the Red Book of the World: glacier parsnip, Ostrovsky tulip, Kaufman iconnikovia, Mushketov's curly, Semenov's kaufmania, and 23 species are in the Red Book of Kazakhstan: Kolpakovsky and Ostrovsky tulips, Kolpakovsky iridodictium, orange yellowberry, Wittrock's rhubarb, golden adonis, Cortuza Semenova, Veronica Alatavskaya and others.

The reserve is rich in valuable plant species, especially forage ones: reed grass, bluegrass, orchard grass, creeping wheatgrass, creeping clover, etc. There are also many medicinal herbs in the reserve (53 species): hawthorn, larkspur, valerian, tansy, strawberry, celandine, etc. , and the abundance of honey plants (more than 40 species) attracts a wide variety of insects.

The reserve has poisonous plants- about 20 species, of which the most famous is Djungarian aconite. It is found in the belt of spruce forests, in tall grass meadows, and along the banks of rivers. It is interesting to note that aconite at a young age is eaten by wild animals - bear, red deer, etc. During the flowering period, angustifolia ash is a decoration of the mountains, but is very dangerous for humans. If you touch this plant, you can get long-lasting skin burns. A large number of glandular cells secrete highly volatile essential oils, which, evaporating in the heat, remain in the form of a cloud over this plant. If you bring a lit match to a plant on a windless, warm evening, a bluish glow from the ignited vapor will flare up around it with a slight crackle. essential oils. Hence its second name, the burning bush.

IN deciduous forests Wild apple trees predominate; there are separate groups of Schrenk spruce trees. Semenov's maple, Tien Shan mountain ash, bird cherry, Sievers and Kyrgyz apple trees, common apricot, Altai, Dzungarian and Almaty hawthorns, buckthorn, aspen, birch, willow and poplar are common. The composition of the undergrowth includes barberry, 7 types of rose hips, currants, euonymus, honeysuckle, raspberries, and cotoneaster. The tree trunks are entwined with hops. The ground cover, as a rule, is a mixed-grass and powerful one, represented by yellow bud, bluegrass, buzulnik, cornflower, sedum, aconite, horse sorrel, fireweed, etc.

On the slopes of southern exposures, the same species are found, except for spruce, and the shrubs are dominated by rose hips and meadowsweet. These slopes are occupied mainly by steppe and meadow formations; Timothy grass, feather grass, fescue, wormwood, astragalus, bluegrass, zopnik, Ixiolirion tatarensis, etc. predominate.

Spruce forests of Schrenk spruce and spruce occupy about 5000 hectares in the altitude range of 1400-2800 m. They are located mainly on the northern, less often on the eastern and western slopes of varying steepness. At the lower border of the belt, spruce forms mixed stands with aspen; in the middle part, pure spruce forests predominate with a slight undergrowth of mountain ash, willow, honeysuckle, cotoneaster and other deciduous shrubs. Near the upper border it grows interspersed with Siberian and false Cossack juniper; At an altitude of about 2800 m, only isolated spruce trees grow.

For the highlands of the arid zone, juniper forests are most typical. Archa is the Turkic name for tree and shrubby junipers belonging to the cypress family. These are long-livers: individual specimens reach an age of more than 3000 years. A plant with a powerful root system, spreading over tens of meters and well protecting slopes from water erosion. Juniper wood is soft with a balsamic smell and does not rot. The air in juniper trees, especially in sunny days, soaked in vapors of essential oils with a sharp characteristic odor and saturated with phytoncides.

Three types of juniper are known in the reserve: Siberian, false Cossack and Cossack, which sometimes rise to a height of 3300 m. Juniper forests are confined to spruce woodlands, and above 2500 m they are generally replaced by spruce forests. In subalpine meadow-steppes they form dwarf juniper forests.

In subalpine meadows, forb-geranium, sedge-forb, mantle-forb and forb-grass formations are common, belonging to meadows of the northern or boreal type. The herbage of meadows is dominated by geraniums, Altai and Asian sedges, fragrant forget-me-nots, Caucasian and black-sedged sedges.

The belt of alpine meadows consists mainly of cryophilic alpine cobresia meadows and alpine lawns. The grass stand is dominated by cobresia. There are alpine cornflower, Caucasian sedge, cold primrose, Altai and Tien Shan violets, alpine aster and cold gentian.

Alpine lawns are characterized by extreme diversity of vegetation cover, which is dominated by low-growing - up to 20-25 cm - forbs and some grasses. They are usually found above cobresia meadows, occupying pass saddles and gentle areas of the northern slopes.

In various flat depressions, in valleys where groundwater is close to the surface, high-mountain meadows - saz - are found. Their formation is associated with stagnation of melt and atmospheric waters in depressions in the presence of crystalline aquitards lying close to the surface. In the grass cover of saz, a significant role is played by sedges: veinless, thick-haired, dark brown, etc., meadow and marsh bluegrass, dandelion, cobresia, etc.

Periodically, the vegetation of the reserve is disturbed by natural disasters - mudflows, avalanches and fires. When large mudflows pass, many trees, shrubs, grass cover, and the top layer of soil are completely washed away. The flow leaves behind debris debris in the floodplains. Pioneer rocks on the mudflows of the river. Issyk is served by willow, poplar, birch, myricaria, curly grass, etc.

Animal world
The fauna of the reserve, like the entire Northern Tien Shan, is very unique. Central Asian mountain species predominate here, including those endemic to individual ridges or mountain ranges. Many forest and steppe European and Mediterranean species also live here.

Thus, spruce forests are characterized by a specific fauna with several endemic species and subspecies - such as the Tien Shan kinglet, Tien Shan bank vole, Tien Shan wood mouse, etc. Among the boreal species common here are nutcracker, crossbill, three-toed woodpecker, hawk owl, lynx, deer, roe deer and some others. There are porcupine, wild boar, bluebird, etc.

Amphibians are represented by only one species - the green toad. It is common on moist forested slopes. Above 2500 m it is almost never found.

Of the reptiles, the Alai holleye, Pallas's copperhead and patterned snake are common, the steppe and common vipers, common and water snakes are rare. The Alai gologla is found everywhere in the mountains up to an altitude of 3800 m, but most often along rocky river bottoms. During the winter it hibernates.

According to preliminary data, the reserve is home to about 200 species of birds. In the belt of deciduous forests, orioles, blackbirds and blackbirds, scops owls, wood pigeons, big tit. In recent years, nesting of the Great Spotted Woodpecker has been observed.

The spruce forests are characterized by the Djungarian chickadee, Muscovy, Indian and green warblers, warblers, grey-headed redstart, pink lentils, black-throated accentrator, three-toed woodpecker, wood owl, hawk owl, common kestrel, spruce crossbill, and great dove. The most common chicken species is grouse. In the spring, black grouse usually breed on the watersheds of ridges and mountain tops adjacent to the forest. Usually several roosters gather at the leks, sometimes up to 10-15. In winter, the main food of the black grouse is Schrenk spruce needles; in spring and summer leaves and seeds of herbs, as well as insects, in autumn - spruce seeds, fruits and berries. The spruce forests also have a permanent presence of nutcrackers.

In the subalpine zone, wallcreeper, painted tit, juniper grosbeak, juniper lentil, and mountain pipit are common. The Alpine belt is characterized by the Alpine Chough, Chough, Alpine Accentor, Himalayan Finch, Bearded Vulture, Golden Eagle, and Himalayan Snowcock.

In the thickets of bushes and along the beds of rivers and streams, brown and white-bellied dippers, hermit snipe, mountain and masked wagtails, bluethroats, blackbirds, bluebirds, and wrens live.

On the steppe southern slopes of the mountains there are numerous chukars, and Semirechensk pheasants are occasionally found in the thickets of bushes.

Chiropterans are represented by four species: the long-eared bat, the common long-eared bat, the late bat, and the dwarf bat.

The tolai hare is found mainly on the southern slopes. The red pika lives everywhere on large rocky screes. For the winter, this animal prepares herbs, shoots of trees and shrubs, which it stores in niches under large stones. Such dry “stacks” reach 5-10 kg.

Wood mice are numerous in the forests of the reserve. Mountain silver and Tien Shan are found in rocky screes. forest vole. Sometimes brownies and field mouse. On the slopes of southern exposure, along river valleys, the common mole vole is often found. There are fewer mouse-like rodents in the highlands than in the lowlands and plains, with relative stability in the total number of animals over the years and seasons.

The gray marmot is found in alpine meadows. Its large settlements are noted in the upper reaches of the river. Left Talgar.

The teleut squirrel, acclimatized in the Northern Tien Shan since 1952, has become common in the reserve. Its numbers depend mainly on the yield of Schrenk spruce seeds. In lean years, the squirrel begins to feed on its buds in the fall, biting off the end shoots.

Common in the Tien Shan Nature Reserve Brown bear, inhabiting mainly spruce forests. The number of bears in the reserve is quite stable: 20-25 animals. Snow Leopard lives mainly in the alpine zone and only in winter after mountain goats descends into the forest-meadow-steppe belt. There are always 2-3 families of this rare predator in the reserve. Turkestan lynx (about 10 individuals) is found in spruce forests. Its prey is roe deer, and less commonly young wild boar and mountain goats.

Since 1970, 2-4 broods of wolves have been constantly kept in the reserve. For the winter, some of them migrate along with livestock grazing in the protected zone. Fox tracks are found everywhere up to the Alpine belt. Of the mustelids, the stoat is common, especially near talus, where the stone marten also lives. The badger lives in deciduous forests.

Wild boar are common in the reserve; there are approximately 60-80 individuals in total. In the deciduous forests along the Right and Left Talgar rivers, pigs have a good food supply and reliable shelters. Roe deer are found up to the upper border of the forest, but are most numerous in deciduous forests and on southern slopes, abundantly overgrown with bushes. Its population ranges from 400 to 650 individuals, decreasing noticeably after harsh and snowy winters.

The number of deer is gradually increasing. In 1968-1972 occasionally single tracks and shed antlers were encountered. Now in the reserve, mainly in spruce forests, groups of up to 10 deer grazing can be observed every day. In total, about 120 deer live here.

The most numerous of the reserve's ungulates is the Siberian mountain goat. According to annual aerial surveys, 600-700 goats live in the highlands of the reserve. Goats form especially large herds, up to 100-150 animals, in winter.