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Established: 1924
Size: 263,280 ha (2633 km2)
Contact information:
Shevelev, Sergei Georgievich, Director
Karl Marx Street,
8
Sochi, 354341
Krasnodarski Krai, Russia
Tel/Fax:
(7-862-2) 44-51-36, 44-52-65
Email:
adlerzap@sochi.ru |
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 The
Caucasus Mountain Region of south-western Russia is
one of the most biologically diverse landscapes in
the Northern hemisphere. Kavkazsky Biosphere
Zapovednik, located in the Stavropol and Krasnodar
Krais, is one of a chain of nature reserves
protecting this biological hot spot. Here, unique
Caucasian tur and chamois scramble up steep
mountain slopes, while rare European bison browse
in young forests. Scores of other endangered
animals and plants find refuge in this extensive
protected area. In awe of the region's timeless
beauty, Christopher Shaposhnikov, the founder of
Kavkazsky Zapovednik, wrote in 1928: "The sight of
snowy mountains [caressed] my eyes with
their milky mist. Here I have feasted my eyes for
more than half a century! Dear to my mind and
heart, my own mountains! And I feel with delight
that I have done a great deal for you, my beloved
mountains! All the joy that you have given me, all
that I have perceived in your ravines and on your
summits, I have compressed into one great idea -
and now we have a Zapovednik!"
Christopher
Shaposhnikov,
Founder of Kavkazsky Zapovednik (1928)
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Photo ©
1997 Robert
Glenn Ketchum
- Zapovednik Images
Zapovednik Facts
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Articles featuring this nature
reserve in
Russian Conservation News
journal
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Articles featuring this
nature reserve in
Russian Conservation
News
journal:
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Images
of Kavkazsky Zapovednik
Click on each photo to see a large
version.
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© 2004 Igor
Shpilenok
European red deer often fall prey to wolves in the zapovednik. |
© 2004 Igor
Shpilenok
The Great Caucasus Range offers endless breathtaking views |
© 2004 Igor
Shpilenok
Rangers patrol the mountains on horseback |
© 2004 Igor
Shpilenok
Wolves are common predators in the zapovednik |
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© 1997 Robert
Glenn Ketchum
An alpine meadow
blossoms with wildflowers in summer in the Adegeya
section of the preserve.
Top
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© 1997 Robert
Glenn Ketchum
Bolshoi T'chatch
Mountain looms in the distance above the Northern
Caucasus Range.
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© 2005 Sergei Trepet
Wild bison ascend a snowy slope. The animals were reintroduced here in the 1960s.
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© 1997 Robert
Glenn Ketchum
Kavkazsky Zapovednik
boasts five species of maple, an unusually high
number for Russia. Here, old growth maples are
found at a surprisingly high elevation - nearly
9,000 feet.
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Zapovednik
Facts:
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Animals
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Abundant vegetation provides forage for many
ungulates (hoofed animals): tur (Capra), maral
(Cervus elaphus maral), chamois (Rupicapra
rupicapra), wild boar (Sus scrofa), roe deer
(Capreolus capreolus), and the reintroduced
Caucasian bison, a subspecies of the European bison
(Bison bonasus). The ungulates, in turn, support a
diversity of large carnivores such as the brown
bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis
lupus), and lynx (Felix lynx). Overall,
the Zapovednik has 59 mammal species and 192 bird
species. Large raptors include bearded vulture
(Gypaetus barbatus), griffon vulture
(Gypus fulvus) and golden eagle (Aquila
chysaetus).
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Vegetation
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The reserve has rich and diverse vegetation;
about 1500 species of vascular plants have been
recorded here, about 20 percent of which are
endemic to the region. Among relics from the
Tertiary geological period, one can find Nordmann
fir (Abies nordmanniana), which can reach 60
meters, Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis),
endemic spruce species (Picea spp.),
gigantic chestnuts (Castanea spp.), among
others. Old growth groves of rare yew (Taxus
baccata) and box trees (Buxus colchica)
are preserved in a section of the reserve along the
Black Sea coast. Alpine meadows are rich in plants
of the Umbelliferae and Compositae families.
Thirty-two species of plants are listed as rare and
endangered in the Russian Red Book.
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Geographical
Features
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Kavkazsky Zapovednik is located on the Main and
Front Caucasian Ridges, with an area of 2634.8 km2,
most of which are forested lands. The Zapovednik
consists of two units: a mountainous part of 2630
km2, and the Khosta yew-box grove of 301 ha.
Mountain ridges define the specifics of the
Zapovedniki's relief; the elevations of the
mountains increase from west to east, rising above
the treeline in the east.
The highest peaks here are Tchugush (3,240 m) and
Smidovich Peak (3,360 m above sea level). Climate
varies from subtropical to severe and arctic-like
in the highlands. Numerous brooks and streams of
glacial origin created the complex, rugged relief
with high cliffs and deep ravines and troughs.
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Conservation
Status
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No other place in Europe protects wilderness on
a scale equal to that in the Caucasus region, and
Kavkazsky Zapovednik plays an important part in
conserving the region's flora and fauna.
However, this reserve is threatened by a number of
factors which threaten its ecological integrity.
For example, poaching inside the reserve and
unsustainable game management in the region have
led to a drastic decline in wildlife numbers.
Populations of deer and chamois have declined by 50
percent, and Caucasian tur by 60 percent. The
Adygeya bison population is on the verge of
extinction: since 1992 the numbers have dropped
from 368 individuals to 66. Poaching by officials
has become a regular violation. However, because
they are poorly equipped - typically without
reliable means of communication and transportation
- the ZapovednikÌs rangers are unable to
effectively stop these poachers.
Fragmentation of the rich forests around the
reserve, particularly in the Adygeya region, also
threatens the wildlife of the reserve. Along its
borders, large scale commercial timber harvesting
is now occurring in undisturbed tracts of the most
valuable tree species: chestnut, yew and box.
The use of technology and the lack of environmental
law enforcement have permitted the timber
enterprises to cause great damage to the ecosystem
including destruction of the soil cover,
significant damage to young trees and a large
amount of waste.
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References |
Krever, V., N. Zazanashvili, H. Jungius, L. Williams
and D. Petelin. Biodiversity of the Caucasus Ecoregion. WWF Russian
Programme Office, Moscow, 2001 (English).
Sokolov, V.E., and E.E.
Syroechkovsky (eds.). Zapovedniks of the USSR: Zapovedniks
of the Caucasus. Mysl Publishers, Moscow,
1990 (Russian).
Zabelina, N.M, L.S. Isaeva-Petrova, and L.V.
Kuleshova. Zapovedniks and National Parks of Russia.
Logata. Moscow, 1998 (Russian and English).
Sergei Trepet is a scientist at the zapovednik's Maikop division. |
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