Naurzum State Nature Reserve ( kk, Наурызым мемлекеттік табиғи қорығы, ) is a nature reserve in

Kostanay Region Kostanay Region ( kk, Қостанай облысы, translit=Qostanai oblysy; russian: Костанайская область, translit=Kostanayskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. Its administrative center is the city of Kostanay. The pop ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

. It is part of the UNESCO heritage site Saryarka — Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan. It protects about of steppes, semi desert and forests. The administrative office of the protected area is located in

Karamendy Karamendy ( kk, Қарамеңді; russian: Караменды), until 1999 known as ''Dokuchayevka'', is a village in Naurzum District, Kostanay Region, Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of the Naurzum District, as well as of the Karam ...

village. Google Earth

Size

The protected area is located in the central part of the

Turgay Plateau The Turgay Plateau ( kk, Торғай Үстірті, ''Torğai Üstırtı''; russian: Тургайское плато) is a plateau in north-west Kazakhstan, central Asia. It lies 200–300 m above sea level. It extends some 630 km north–s ...

within the steppe zone of Kazakhstan. Aksuat lake is located in the reserve. It consists of three clusters of core areas, which are surrounded by buffer zones and connected via a protected eco-corridor. The core area is about ; the buffer zone is about in size. Main Area Naurzum-Kargay Cluster is the largest of the three component areas. It is located about west of the capital city of Nur Sultan. This area consists of and includes several large lakes including

Zharman Zharman ( kk, Жарман) is a salt lake in Naurzum District, Kostanay Region, Kazakhstan. Zharman is part of the main lake group of the Naurzum Nature Reserve, a protected area established in 2009. The village of Karamendy, former Dokuchaye ...

Lake. Sypsyn-Aebu Cluster is located about west of Naurzum-Kargay. It contains . Tersek-Karagay Cluster is located about north of Sypsyn-Aebu. It contains . An Eco-Corridor of borders all three clusters merging them into a unified area, that along with additional buffer areas of surrounding the three core areas, provides a total protected area of .Nomination Dossier SARYARKA - Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan - For inscription on THE LIST OF CULTURAL AND NATURAL WORLD HERITAGE OF UNESCO. Provided by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan
online link to nomination file
/ref>

Flora

The vegetation is diverse and consists of steppes, shrub lands, semi deserts and as a unique feature within the southern steppe zone, also forests. These forests are composed mainly of pine (''

Pinus sylvestris ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and or ...

''), birch (''

Betula pendula ''Betula pendula'', commonly known as silver birch, warty birch, European white birch, or East Asian white birch, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe and parts of Asia, though in southern Europe, it is only found ...

'', '' B. pubescens'') and aspen (''

Populus tremula ''Populus tremula'' (commonly called aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, or quaking aspen) is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of Europe and Asia, from Iceland and the British IslesJames KilkellIrish native ...

''). Along the seashores there is also typical aquatic vegetation of sedges and reeds. In the shrub dominated parts, typical steppe shrubs are Russian almond ('' Amygdalus nana''), cherry ('' Cerasus fruticosa''), greenweed ('' Cytisus ruthenicus'') (western distribution boundary), species of wild roses (''

Rosa Rosa or De Rosa may refer to: People *Rosa (given name) * Rosa (surname) * Santa Rosa (female given name from Latin-a latinized variant of Rose) Places * 223 Rosa, an asteroid *Rosa, Alabama, a town, United States * Rosa, Germany, in Thuringia, ...

'') and juniper ('' Juniperus sabinea''). At moister places there also willow bushes (''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

'') and along lake shores, tamarisk (''

Tamarix ramosissima ''Tamarix ramosissima'', commonly known as saltcedar salt cedar, or tamarisk, is a deciduous arching shrub with reddish stems, feathery, pale green foliage, and characteristic small pink flowers. The cultivar 'Pink Cascade' (dark pink flowered) ...

'').

Fauna

There are 47 species of mammals, 279 species of birds, 10 species of reptile and amphibious animals and 10 species of fish reported in the reserve. In addition more than 1000 species of invertebrates are found. Typical mammals of the steppe zone are steppe polecat (''Mustela eversmanni''),

corsac fox The corsac fox (''Vulpes corsac''), also known simply as a corsac, is a medium-sized fox found in steppes, semi-deserts and deserts in Central Asia, ranging into Mongolia and northern China. Since 2004, it has been classified as ''least concern ...

(''Vulpes corsac''), common fox (''Vulpes vulpes''),

Eurasian wolf The Eurasian wolf (''Canis lupus lupus''), also known as the common wolf,Mech, L. David (1981), ''The Wolf: The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species'', University of Minnesota Press, p. 354, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to Euro ...

(''Canis lupus lupus''),

long-eared hedgehog The long-eared hedgehog (''Hemiechinus auritus'') is a species of hedgehog native to Central Asian countries and some countries of the Middle East. The long-eared hedgehog lives in burrows that it either makes or finds and is distinguished by it ...

(''Erinaceus auritus''), European hare (''Lepus europaeus'') and several rodent species like

bobak marmot The bobak marmot (''Marmota bobak''), also known as the steppe marmot, is a species of marmot that inhabits the steppes of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It is a social animal and inhabits steppe grassland, including cultivated field borders. ...

(''Marmota bobac''), large-toothed souslik (''Spermophylus fulvus''), red-cheeked souslik (''Spermophylus major''), little souslik (''Spermophylus pygmeus''), common hamster (''Cricetus cricetus''), jerboas (''Allactaga major'', ''Stylodipus telum'') as well as several species of voles and lemmings. The forests are inhabited by elk (''Alces alces''), Tartarian roe deer (''Capreolus pygargus''),

Eurasian lynx The Eurasian lynx (''Lynx lynx'') is a medium-sized wild cat widely distributed from Northern, Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia and Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. It inhabits temperate and boreal forests up to an eleva ...

(''Lynx lynx''), badger (''Meles meles''), ermine (''Mustela erminea''), weasel (''Mustela nivalis''), pine marten (''Martes martes'') and

raccoon dog The common raccoon dog (''Nyctereutes procyonoides''), also called the Chinese or Asian raccoon dog, is a small, heavy-set, fox-like canid native to East Asia. Named for its raccoon-like face markings, it is most closely related to foxes. Common ...

(''Nyctereutes procyonoides''), red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''),

European hedgehog The European hedgehog (''Erinaceus europaeus''), also known as the West European hedgehog or common hedgehog, is a hedgehog species native to Europe from Iberia and Italy northwards into Scandinavia and westwards into the British Isles.Harris, S ...

(''Erinaceus europaeus''), Blue Hare (''Lepus timidus''). Mainly along rivers one can also find

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

(''Sus scrofa''). Among the species, which can be found occasionally in the deserts and semi deserts of the reserve is the rare

saiga antelope The saiga antelope (, ''Saiga tatarica''), or saiga, is a critically endangered antelope which during antiquity inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian steppe spanning the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in the northwest and Caucasus in t ...

(''Saiga tatarica'').

References

{{World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan Nature reserves in Kazakhstan Kostanay Region Ramsar sites in Kazakhstan

Size

Flora

Fauna

See also

References