Ile-Alatau National Park
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Ile-Alatau National Park ( kk, Іле Алатауы ұлттық паркі, ''Ile Alatauy ülttyq parkı'' ; rus, Иле-Алатауский национальный парк, '' Ile Alatauskiy Natsional'nyy Park'') is a
national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
in
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 was created in 1996 and covers about 200,000 ha. It is situated in the
Trans-Ili Alatau Ile Alatau ( kk, Ile Alatauy, ''Іле Алатауы''), also spelt as Trans-Ili Alatau, is a part of the Northern Tian Shan mountain system (ancient Mount Imeon) in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is the northernmost mountain range of Tian Shan st ...
mountains south of
Almaty Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...
between Gorge Turgen in the east and Chemolgan River in the west. The National Park borders Almaty Nature Reserve, which is located around
Pik Talgar Peak Talgar ( kk, Талғар шыңы ''Talğar Şyñy''; russian: Пик Талгар, Pik Talgar) is a northern peak in the Tian Shan mountain range in Kazakhstan, named after Talgar river and city. It is the highest peak of the Trans-Ili Alat ...
. The landscape includes woodlands, alpine meadows, glaciers and lakes, including Big Almaty Lake. Remarkable trees include
apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...
,
maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...
, and
apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
. A total of 300 species of birds and animals have been recorded from the Ile-Alatau National Park. The park is home to
snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a Felidae, felid in the genus ''Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia, Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red ...
s, Central Asian lynx, Tian Shan brown bears, Central Asian stone martens,
Siberian ibex The Siberian ibex (''Capra sibirica''), also known as the Altai ibex, Central Asia(n) ibex, Gobi ibex, Himalayan ibex, Mongolian ibex or Tian Shan ibex, is a species of ibex that lives in central Asia. It has traditionally been treated as a subs ...
es,
bearded vulture The bearded vulture (''Gypaetus barbatus''), also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey and the only member of the genus ''Gypaetus''. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a separate mi ...
s and
golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...
s. Other notable bird species found in Ile-Alatau National Park include
Himalayan snowcock The Himalayan snowcock (''Tetraogallus himalayensis'') is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae found across the Himalayan ranges and parts of the adjoining Pamir range of Asia. It is found on alpine pastures and on steep rocky cliffs wh ...
,
ibisbill The ibisbill (''Ibidorhyncha struthersii'') is a bird related to the waders, but sufficiently distinctive to merit its own family Ibidorhynchidae. It is grey with a white belly, red legs and long down-curved bill, and a black face and black breas ...
,
Eurasian scops owl The Eurasian scops owl (''Otus scops''), also known as the European scops owl or just scops owl, is a small owl in the typical owl family Strigidae. Its breeding range extends from southern Europe eastwards to southern Siberia and the western Hima ...
, and
Eurasian three-toed woodpecker The Eurasian three-toed woodpecker (''Picoides tridactylus'') is a medium-sized woodpecker that is found from northern Europe across northern Asia to Japan. Taxonomy The Eurasian three-toed woodpecker was formally described in 1758 by the Swedi ...
. The park also protects specific species of deer whose antlers are believed to have medicinal properties.


History

The history of the park begins with the creation of the Almaty State Reserve in
Zailiisky Alatau Ile Alatau ( kk, Ile Alatauy, ''Іле Алатауы''), also spelt as Trans-Ili Alatau, is a part of the Northern Tian Shan mountain system (ancient Mount Imeon) in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is the northernmost mountain range of Tian Shan st ...
in 1931. Initially it occupied the area of 15 thousand hectares in the valley of Malaya Almatinka river, in 1935, after increasing the area to 40 thousand hectares, and then to 856.7 thousand hectares, it became known as Alma-Ata, covering the whole Zailiisky Alatau ridge. Regular scientific research on vegetation cover, forest typology, birds and mammals began to be conducted in this territory. The first scientific substantiation of the organization of the Zailiisky National Park was developed by order of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR on January 3, 1985, in accordance with the program of the Academy of Sciences "Development of Protected Areas in Kazakhstan". The scientific supervisors were academicians E. V. Gvozdev and B. A. Bykov. In 1987, the Department of Biosphere and Ecology of the Kazakhstan Committee for the UNESCO program "Man and the Biosphere" at the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR within the program "Development of Protected Areas in Kazakhstan" prepared a scientific rationale for the "General Scheme of Development and Location of Natural Reserve Fund of the Kazakh SSR until 2005". This document proposed the creation of Zailiyskiy State National Nature Park on the area of 280 thousand hectares. According to this scheme, the creation of the park was planned for 1995. In 1990, a feasibility study for the organization of the park was developed. On February 22, 1996, the Ile-Alatau National Park was established on the territory of 202,292 ha by the governmental resolution.


Climate

The climate in the national park is diverse and differentiated by altitude climatic zones. Summers are warm, winters are mild due to a pronounced inversion of air temperature. In the foothills, the average January temperature is -7.4°С, and 23°С in July. The duration of the frost-free period is 181 days, and 560 mm of precipitation falls per year. In the Maloalmatinsky gorge (Medeu tract), at an altitude of 1530 m, the temperature in January is -4.3 °C, and 18.1 °C in July. The duration of the frost-free period is 145 days, and 843 mm of precipitation falls per year. At an altitude of 3035 m (Mynzhilki tract), in conditions of eternal snow and glaciers, the average January temperature is −11.3°С, and 7°С in July. The duration of the frost-free period is 53 days, and 734 mm of precipitation falls annually. In the high-mountainous part of the Zailiyskiy Alatau at an altitude of 3750 m, the climate is harsh, and there is a lot of precipitation - 800–1300 mm, mainly in the form of snow. The warm period is very short - the average air temperature on the glaciers in summer does not exceed 2.8°С. Snow cover according to long-term observations in the foothills (850 m) is established on December 6, in the middle mountains (1200–2500 m) - a month earlier, in the highlands (3000 m) - on October 21. In spring, snow melts at different heights and in different mountains from March 10 to May 22. The number of days with snow cover at different altitudes varies from 111 to 236. The height of the snow cover in the foothills is about 30 cm, in the middle and high mountains it can reach 100 cm. The Zailiyskiy Alatau stands as a high forward barrier on the way of the northern and northwestern moisture-carrying air masses, which freely penetrate through the main valleys deep into the mountains, causing a clear differentiation of natural landscapes at altitude. The territory of the park covers low-mountain, mid-mountain and high-mountain landscapes, which reflect the layered structure of the mountains.


Flora

The flora of the natural park has more than 1,000 species, of which the overwhelming part accounts for the flora of the middle-mountain forest belt. There are more than 500 species of deciduous forests and more than 400 species of higher plants in spruce forests. 36 species are included in the Red Book. In the lowlands there are Ostrovskiy tulip, Mushketov's curlicue, Alberta iris, Sivers apple tree, Altai holosemianus; in the middlelands - orange jaundice, Semenov's tufted shagreen, Alma mater, cortuza Semenova; in the highlands - Falconer liverwort, Tianshan Siberia, Kumbel hawk, Schmangauzia asteriata, Sossurea wrapped. The mosses listed in the Red Book, such as Pachyphysissidens largeifolia and Orthotrichum smoothened are in special need of protection. The red-listed saffron of Alatau (Crocus alatavicus) can be found in the Kok-Gailau tract. From the set of useful plants of great interest is a group of fodder plants (more than 80 species): cobresia hairy, sedge narrow dense, fescue Krylov, bluegrass alpine and meadow bluegrass, fescue Tianshan, hedgehog, short-legged pinnate, species regeneration, clover, pea, chinna. Among tannic plants, the most valuable are various species of sorrel, mountain pea, and rhubarb. From the essential oil-bearing plants - angelica, juniper, wormwood. As natural dyes can be used cuffs, daubing, macrotonia, etc. Widespread medicinal plants: fir, yarrow, mother and stepmother, rose hips, joester, valerian, juniper, dandelion, plantain, etc. Among the food plants are especially valuable: apricot, apple tree, raspberry, currant, strawberry, strawberry, blackberry, barberry, sea buckthorn, rowanberry, hawthorn, rose hips. Numerous ornamental plants: primroses, waterspouts, tulips, irises, small petals, bluebells, gentians, violets, different types of trees and shrubs.


Fauna

The fauna of invertebrates has not been fully studied yet. However, by now more than 2000 species from 8 classes are already known. The composition of some classes of insects has been partially revealed. Thus, from the order of beetles 252 species of beetles, 180 - staphylinids, 102 - leaf beetles; from the order of scaly or butterflies - 145 species of daytime moths; from the order of hymenoptera - 110 species of bees, 97 - swarming wasps, 33 - ants, and 30 ichneumon flies have been studied. Of all this diversity, only 24 species are included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan, including 3 species of mollusks (Bradybena senestrosa, Pseudonapeus shnitkova and Turcomylax cvetkova). The others belong to the class of insects: the Notable Hornbill, the Pretty Ladybird (order of dragonflies), the Short-winged Bolivaria (mantis), the Steppe Dabbit, the Semenov's Daisy, the Ershov's Jaundice, the Bedromylius, the Patrician. The vertebrate fauna is represented by 245 species. In mountain rivers and streams there are 8 species of fish: naked and scaly ottomans, marinka, minnow, and in the river Turgen - acclimatized rainbow trout. There are four species of amphibians, two of which (Danatin toad and Central Asian frog) are included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. Of the eight species of reptiles, lizards are common (Alai's googly and multicolored lizard), as well as snakes - common and water snake, multicolored and patterned snakes. More rare are venomous snakes - steppe viper and shield-monkey. The variety of natural conditions determines the species richness of birds. In total, there are 178 species in the national park. According to the character of their stay they are divided into three groups: nesting - 105 species, arriving for wintering - 18 species, migrating - 55 species. The Red Book includes 11 species (black stork, pygmy eagle, golden eagle, kumai, shahin, sickle-owl, eagle owl, saker falcon - flying; peregrine falcon, and big lentil - wintering). Mammals 48 species. Typical mountain mammals include the Tianshan rodent, rock squirrel, red pika, gray marmot, Tianshan mouse, silver vole, stone marten, snow leopard, and ibex. Along with species typical of mountains, there are also species typical of other ecosystems in the park: wolf, fox, bear, roe deer, red deer, wild boar, tolai hare, etc. The group of red-listed species consists of 7 species: brown Tianshan bear, snow leopard, stone marten, Central Asian river otter, Pallas' cat, Turkestan lynx and Indian porcupine.


Landmarks

On the territory of the park there are burial mounds of the early Iron Age on the Assy plateau and near the Turgen Gorge, Sak burials on the banks of the Issyk River. On the right bank of the Turgen River the traces of the strong earthquake, which occurred here more than 10 thousand years ago, were found. This debris strata in the form of rocks of bizarre shapes and various colors is a true monument of nature. The relict mossy Chinturgen spruce forests are also a natural monument, where islands of permafrost with ice thickness of 2–3 m are preserved under the cover of moss at a depth of 30–40 cm. Permafrost massifs located at such a low altitude are not found anywhere else in the Trans-Ili Alatau. The high-altitude landscape, which resembles the cold desert of the Inner Tien Shan, which is located along the axial part of the ridge at the Pass of "Prokhodnoy", is unique. Peak "Seven Needles Tuyuksu" is a peak consisting of seven rock formations, shaped like needles. The difficulty category is 4a. The park also includes the Kaskelen river gorge.Jura.lt: "Kazakhstan is becoming top player of Central Asian tourism industry", 27 April 2012
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Gallery

File:Near of observatory - panoramio.jpg, Near
observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
. File:Watchtower in middle of Big Almaty Lake (3991851837).jpg, Watchtower in Big Almaty Lake. File:Большое Алматинское озеро.jpg, Lake in winter. File:Water pipe with Big Almaty Lake.jpg, Water pipe from the lake. File:Big Almaty Lake (Bolshaya Almatinka), Almaty region, Kazakhstan. October 2007.jpg, Lake during a fog. File:Wildflowers along Lednik Bogdanovicha trail.jpg, Wildflowers along the Bogdanovich Glacier trail.


Panoramic view


References


External links



(http://en.ile-alatau.kz/)
Ile-Alatau National Park
(www.almaty-kazakhstan.net) {{authority control National parks of Kazakhstan Geography of Almaty Region Protected areas established in 1996 World Heritage Tentative List Tourist attractions in Almaty Region Parks in Almaty Tourist attractions in Almaty 1996 establishments in Kazakhstan