Kazakhstan is an amazing state of Central Asia, which is the ninth in the world in its area with a low population density. Therefore, it is more famous for its nature, which they try to preserve there as much as possible. And that is why in the country there are as many as 12 national parks and 10 nature reserves of Kazakhstan. Each of them is visited annually by tens, if not hundreds of thousands of tourists.
This article may be useful for preparing a presentation on the reserves of Kazakhstan. In the Kazakh language (as well as in Russian) the names of all nature reserves of the country are indicated here. And also gives a brief description of each of them.
Aksu-Zhabaglinsky protected area
Aksu-Zhabaglinsky reserve (Kazakh - Aқsu-Zhabaғyly memeklettіk tabiғi ́oryғy) was founded in July 1927 and is still open to all tourists. It is located on the territory of three countries at once - Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and in Kazakhstan it is located at the intersection of the Zhabagly and South Kazakhstan regions and covers a vast territory of almost 132 thousand hectares. It is the Aksu-Zhabaglinsky protected area that is considered the oldest and most beautiful in the country. There are beautiful coniferous forests, unusual mountain vegetation, more than 23 fruitful trees, and a lot of flowers grow here, so from spring to autumn this region looks extremely colorful and amazing. And here about 42 species of mammals live, of which 10 species are listed in the Red Book of the country, and the snow leopard, subspecies of argali and the marmot of Menzbier are under special scrutiny, as they are threatened with extinction. But most importantly, it is in this reserve in the pit of Kaskabulak that you can see a stone gallery with rock paintings of the most ancient people.
Almaty reserve zone
Also, special attention among the nature reserves of Kazakhstan is required by the Almaty protected area (Kazakh - Almaty memlekty tabiғi қoryғy), which is also one of the oldest in the country, because it was founded back in 1931 in the territory of the Malo-Almaty forestry in the Almaty region. The territory of this reserve is 71.7 thousand hectares, among which a considerable part is occupied by the waters of the Ili and Targary rivers, as well as Issyk and Akkol lakes, captivating with their picturesque landscape. Here you can also see beautiful alpine meadows, deciduous forests and amazing bare glaciers and rocks with the highest point - Talgar peak with a height of 4973 meters. And, of course, there is a huge number of the most diverse representatives of flora and fauna, many copies of which are listed in the Red Book.
Naurzum protected area
How many reserves in Kazakhstan were opened in 1931? Two at once. Indeed, in addition to the Almaty protected area, the Naurzum Reserve (Kazakh. - Nauryzym memlektytіk tabiіi қoryғy) was also opened this year. True, it is located at the opposite end of the country - in the Kostanay region, and covers a vast territory of 191.4 thousand hectares. The territory of this reserve is especially diverse. There are fresh and salty water bodies, an unusual pine forest, which is located on hilly aeolian sands, dry meadows, feather grass steppes, pine forest and many other amazing natural landscapes that are breathtaking. And about 680 species of plants grow here, of which the Kyrgyz birch, Mugodzhar heady, Schrenka tulip, sundew and thin-legged species are listed in the Red Book, and 44 species of animals and 290 bird species live, among which 44 bird species are listed in the Red Book.
Barsakelmes Conservation Area
Special attention should be paid to the Barsakelmes nature reserve of Kazakhstan (in the Kazakh language - Barsakelmes memeklettіk tabi i ғoryғy). It is this conservation area that is unique not only in Kazakhstan, but also in the entire CIS, where right now, before our eyes, an environmental catastrophe of the most global scale is taking place. This reserve is located in the Kyzylorda region and occupies about 161 thousand hectares. Here the warm period lasts about 210 days, so the landscapes here are mostly very deserted and harsh. However, scientists still consider this place a natural laboratory of incredible beauty. Moreover, the flora and fauna still flourish here, because in this reserve you can see as many as 278 species of vascular plants and many rare animals and birds - an eared hedgehog, whooper swan, a shrimp, a Turkmen kulan, a burial ground, a dwarfish jerboa and many others .
Korgalzhyn Conservation Area
No less famous reserve of Kazakhstan is the Korgalyzhsky protected zone (Kazakh. - Korgalzhyn memlekty tabi ғoryғy), created in 1968 on the territory of Akmola and Karaganda regions. Its area covers as many as 543 thousand hectares, of which about 200 thousand hectares are in water bodies - lakes Kurgaldzhin and Tengiz and the river Nuru. Actually, it was precisely because of the protection of wetlands and their coastal territory that this reserve was created, which in 2008 became part of UNESCO World Heritage, and Lake Tengiz itself appeared in the international network "Living Lakes", which includes unique lakes from all over of the world. Which is not at all surprising, because in this reserve a huge amount of steppe and aquatic vegetation grows and about 250 species of birds and 36 species of mammals live. And recently, pink flamingo lives here, which has become an honorary symbol of the protected area.
Markakolsky reserved zone
Also, Markakolsky (Kazakh. - Markakul) reserve of Kazakhstan is definitely worth it, the symbol of which is uskuch - a fish that lives in Markakol lake, located in the reserve zone. This reserve is located in the East Kazakhstan region and covers an area of 102 thousand hectares. The attractions of this conservation area are simply amazing. Here you can find the steep Zaysan Depression, the picturesque Marble Pass, an apiary with delicious and fragrant Altai honey, meadows, dark coniferous forests, rocky tundra and many other breathtaking landscapes. In addition, you can see a huge number of birds and mammals, among which there is even a snow leopard, listed in the Red Book.
Ustyurt Conservation Area
If you carefully read the information about the reserves of Kazakhstan, be sure to catch your eye on the information about the Ustyursky protected area (Kazakh. - Үі і ғ қғ́). It is located in the Mangosteen region and covers an area of 223 thousand hectares. The original goal of creating this reserve was to preserve the plateau of the northern deserts and the numerous animals and plants that inhabit them. But besides this, it is also intended to preserve several archaeological sites that have been preserved here since the time when ancient caravans marched through these deserts. So, tourists here will see the Silk Road, the long road of the Khorezmshahs, as well as numerous ancient cemeteries with mausoleums, mazars, where crowds of pilgrims constantly go.
West Altai Wildlife Refuge
The famous West Altai State Nature Reserve of Kazakhstan (Kazakh - Batys-Altai memeklettіk tabiғi қoryғy) should also not be ignored. It was created in July 1992 on the territory of the East Kazakhstan region with an area of 86 thousand hectares. This reserve is a representative of the mountain landscape, so tourists will have something to see here. At an altitude of about 1,500 meters, mountain taiga will open for them, at an altitude of about 2,300 meters - mountain meadows, and at an altitude of 2,800 meters - mountain tundra. And this whole area simply captivates the imagination with a variety of flora and fauna, many of which are listed in the Red Book of the country. But most importantly, here is the famous Valley of Stone Fairy Tale, where many amazing stone structures have formed due to water erosion, which everyone who comes to Altai must see.
Alakolsky reserved zone
Still very close attention, both tourists and scientists, pay to the Alakol reserve of Kazakhstan (in Kazakh - Alakul memeklettik tabiғi қoryғy). It was created relatively recently, in April 1998, at the junction of the territories of Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions, and covers an area of 65,000 hectares. The reserve is noteworthy in that its landscapes were formed in one of the periods of the post-glacial era, because of which the relief of its four lakes represents lake and sea salt deposits, which look extremely interesting for inexperienced tourists. And especially noteworthy here is Lake Alakol, in the center of which there are three small islands that invariably become part of the route of migratory birds during their flights from African and Indian islands. Moreover, these are not ordinary birds, but those that are listed in the Red Book - the snake-eater, the white-tailed eagle, the bustard, whooper swan, curly and pink pelicans, the demoiselle crane and some others.
Karatau Nature Reserve
Well, and finally, the last, the youngest nature reserve in Kazakhstan is the Karatau Nature Reserve, founded a little more than 10 years ago - in 2004. This smallest but extremely curious reserve with an area of only 34,000 hectares is located in the South Kazakhstan region in the very center of the Karatau ridge. The zone is noteworthy in that the famous Polish scientist Thomas Sulej was able to detect artifacts on its territory, the age of which reached as many as 150 thousand years. And besides, about 400 species of plants grow in this conservation area, which will be extremely interesting for botanists, since many of them are a unique mixture of the oldest and newest species and forms, so 42 of them were listed in the Red Book. Representatives of the fauna are just as impressive. In the reserve, in addition to the species common for Kazakhstan, there are stone marten, mountain ram, dwarf eagle, balaban and some other inhabitants, which are also listed in the Red Book and are under the protection of the Committee for Hunting and Forestry.
But Kazakhstan is famous not only for nature reserves. As we have already said, besides them, the country also has 12 national parks, which are also carefully guarded, and 4 state parks are only planning to open in the future in the East Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, South Kazakhstan and Karaganda regions.