It is located in the center of the Togina basin in the Republic of Tuva, founded in 1985. It has an area of 300.4 ha. “Azas” is a reserve, a brief “biography” of which sounds just like that. In our article we will try to tell you more about this wonderful place.
From the history of creation
"Azas" - a reserve created in 1985 on the basis of the reserve of republican significance "Azas". The main goal is to protect and study the unique and typical ecosystems of the Togina Basin and the surrounding mountains, protect the animal and plant world of Southern Siberia.
Geographic features
The Azas Nature Reserve is located in the area of the former cover glaciation, which created a unique relief. The bottom of the basin from west to east rises from 850 to 2000 meters. It is surrounded by highlands, reaching a height of 2900 meters.
The mountain rivers of the reserve are distinguished by rapids, clamps and waterfalls. Their waters are impeccably clean and transparent - through them you can see the pebble bottom. The largest rivers of the reserve are Sorug and Azas.
The climate is moderately humid and sharply continental. Winter in these places is calm and very cold. Summer is pretty cool - summer frosts also happen.
The minimum January temperature can reach –54 ° , but in the last 15 years it has not dropped below –49 ° . The average daily temperature in January is -28.7 ºC, in July +14.6 ºC.
Geology
Paleozoic and Proterozoic rocks — conglomerates, sandstones, limestones, gneisses, crystalline schists, porphyrites, and granite intrusions — participate in the geological structure of this territory. In the east, they are covered by a thick stratum of tuffs and basalts.
Vegetable world
The Azas Nature Reserve is characterized by a wide variety of vegetation. It is represented by various types - meadows, steppes, swamps, tundra. Higher vascular plants are represented by 909 species, most of which are found in Eurasia and Asia.
The reserve is inhabited by more than 20 species of various ferns located in places with high humidity. The pine family consists of 5 species of trees, including larch, cedar and Siberian ordinary pine.
A significant role in the formation of the landscape is played by birch (fluffy and drooping) and tree-like willows that grow on stony soils along the banks of rivers and lakes.
“Azas” is a nature reserve in Russia, under the protection of which there are also flowering plants. These include the venus slipper, the Orchis helmet-bearing, the Dossier of Dorogostaysky.
"Azas" is a reserve with more than 200 medicinal plants - spirea (middle and oak-leaved), needle rosehips, berry bushes, thick frangipani, Siberian mountain ash and others.
The decorative species growing on the territory of the reserve include a wide variety of buttercups and Asteraceae, all species of orchids and most of the lily.
In lakes and swamps, sedge and bog cranberries can be found. More than 6% of the territory of the Azas Nature Reserve is occupied by marshy woodlands. Edible types of berries, except cranberries, include blueberries, lingonberries and blueberries growing in mountain taiga forests, and black currants in the valley forests, which reach a height of 3 m, red currants, wild garlic grows along streams or victorious onions.
The vegetation cover of the reserve is the predominance of mountain taiga forests (most often cedar and deciduous), steppes prevail on the slopes, and tundra-loam communities form at the foot of the slopes.
Tundra shrubs are represented by juniper communities with a predominance of Adams rhododendron.
Azas Nature Reserve: animals
The fauna of the reserve is typical of this mountainous area. Today it is represented by 51 species of mammals, 23 of which are considered rare or endangered.
The most diverse on these lands is a detachment of rodents. In deciduous, cedar and mixed forests common squirrel is found. On the highlands among the tundra and meadows live colonies of long-tailed gopher. In the spring, a chipmunk wakes up in the reserve. This animal is considered quite rare here.
Small rodents are represented by red-gray and red voles, house-keeper vole, Asian forest mouse. The muskrat is often found, but its population is small in number due to lack of feed, due to the deep freezing of water bodies.
Tuvan beaver
This animal should be described in more detail. The first mention of Tuvan beavers appeared at the end of the XIX century - they were found in the upper Yenisei. Locals claim that this animal was revered as sacred, therefore the hunt for it was prohibited. At the same time, in the early 60s, the population of beavers living on the Azas River amounted to only 24 individuals. Today this figure has increased by more than 3 times.
Beavers prefer to settle in areas with great depth, slow flow and high banks. Of course, the availability of fodder resources is important for them.
Azas Nature Reserve - a place where beavers survive in very harsh conditions - a limited food supply, lack of sufficient space for equipping burrows. This can explain their low fecundity.
Predators and other animals
In the reserve, the number of wolves does not exceed 60 individuals. They feed on deer and roe deer. The permanent inhabitants of the reserve are brown bears, who at the beginning of summer choose places with grassy vegetation. In the fall they go to the taiga, sometimes prey on ungulates.
The sable population is small - no more than three animals per 1000 ha. He eats berries, nuts, rodents. But weasel and ermine are widely represented here. Sometimes you can meet wolverine, and the American mink and river otter live in the aquatic environment.
Throughout the reserve live moose, which are under special protection.
Birds
Lakes are inhabited by black-throated loon, anseriformes inhabit small and medium taiga lakes.
Thickets of aquatic and coastal vegetation of Lake Azas are good for nesting ducks. Of these, the most common are woolen mallard, teal-whistle, broad-toed, gray duck.
Representatives of birds of prey are the goshawk, the common buzzard and the sparrowhunter, which preys on small birds - tits and sparrows.
Kites live in the valleys of taiga rivers and on Lake Azas. White-tailed eagle is the largest bird of prey in the reserve. They arrive in early April. Their number is stable and does not cause concern.
In open and forest marshy areas, a gray crane settles.
"Azas" - a reserve, a photo of which you can see in our article, has become a permanent habitat for 9 species of owls. The largest predator among birds is the long-tailed owl. It is much less common to find a marsh owl, a hawk flies into the reserve only during seasonal migrations. In the spring you can hear how the owl is laughing. Small owls live in dark coniferous forests.
In late May - early June, huge swifts of swifts feed above the surface of the water. White-belt, black, and needle-tailed swifts are common in the reserve. Among the rare and endangered birds in the reserve there are osprey, white-tailed eagle, black stork, golden eagle, saker.
Amphibians
The amphibian squad that inhabit the Azas Nature Reserve includes the Siberian Coral Tooth and the Muzzle Frog, which are distributed in humid places.
Reptiles in this area are few in number, and quite rarely there are lizards (nimble and viviparous), common moth and common viper.
Tourist paradise
The Azas Nature Reserve is a beautiful mountain landscape with volcanoes, canyons, circuses, mineral springs and countless lakes. The reserve's territory has 18 sacred places worshiped by the indigenous population - Tuvans-Todzhins. A special attraction of these places are considered arzhaans (Biche-Sorug, Oorash).
In the reserve, tourist routes are developed that introduce guests to high-mountain and taiga ecosystems, to cult rituals held at healing springs, and to the daily life of reindeer herders.
Lake Azas is a natural monument of this land. It is located at an altitude of 944 meters. It can be visited during a day trip.
The large border lakes of the reserve, Kadysh and Mani-Khol, are no less interesting. Their maximum depth reaches 100 meters.
In the highlands are picturesque volcanoes, on mountain rivers - waterfalls and canyons. This landscape contrasts with the colorfulness of alpine meadows.