Besh-Aral Nature Reserve ( ky, Беш-Арал мамлекеттик коругу, russian: Беш-Аральский государственный заповедник) is a nature reserve in

Chatkal District Chatkal ( ky, Чаткал району) is a district of Jalal-Abad Region in western Kyrgyzstan. The administrative seat lies at Kanysh-Kyya. Its area is , and its resident population was 28,625 in 2021. Geography The district occupies high ...

Jalal-Abad Region Jalal-Abad Region ( ky, Жалал-Абад облусу, Jalal-Abad oblusu; russian: Джалал-Абадская область, Dzhalal-Abadskaya oblast) is a region (''oblast'') of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is the city of the same name, Jala ...

, western

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

. Established in 1979, it currently covers 112,463 hectares. It is situated in the basin of the rivers

Ters Phallic saints are representations of saints or local deities who are invoked for fertility. The representations of the phallus are benevolent symbols of prolificacy and reproductive fruitfulness, and objects of reverence and worship especially ...

and

Chatkal The Chatkal (russian: Чаткал) is a river of Jalal-Abad Region, Kyrgyzstan and Tashkent Region in Uzbekistan. It is the left source river of the Chirchiq in the Syr Darya basin. In its upper course it is called ''Karakulja''. The length of ...

, between 950 and 2300 m elevation. This is a mountainous region with untouched wild landscapes, turbulent rivers, vast meadows, and great biodiversity.

History

Besh-Aral Nature Reserve was established on March 21, 1979, to preserve the unique natural complex and forests of the

valley, as well as to protect the habitat of the

Menzbier's Marmot The Menzbier's marmot (''Marmota menzbieri'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae from Central Asia. Its name commemorates Russian zoologist Mikhail Aleksandrovich Menzbier. Distribution and habitat It inhabits meadows and stepp ...

and to protect the natural habitat of vegetation of Greig's and

Kaufmann's Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Summary The store was owned in the early 20th century by Edgar J. Kaufmann, patron of the famous Fallingwater house. In the post-war years, the store became a regio ...

tulips. The area of the reserve amounted to 116,700 hectares. In 1994,in regard with the establishment of Chatkal Forestry the boundaries of the reserve were changed and area reduced to 63,200 hectares (Government Decree No 573 of August 1, 1994). On July 16, 2002, the habitats of Menzbir's marmot ( Marmota menzbieri) and other areas were re-subordinated to the nature reserve, and its area increased to 86,748 hectares (Government Decree No 499 of July 26, 2002). In 2006, extension of the Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve with the

Chandalash game reserve Chandalash Game Reserve ( ky, Чандалаш заказниги, also Сандалаш ''Sandalash'') is a wildlife refuge in Kyrgyzstan. Established in 1975, it covers . It is situated on the upper course of the river Chandalash, in Chatkal Di ...

area increased the area with 25,715 hectares.Decree 24 April 2006 No. 291

References

Nature reserves in Kyrgyzstan Protected areas established in 1979 {{Asia-protected-area-stub