Erzi Nature Reserve () (also Erzee) is a Russian '

zapovednik A zapovednik is an established term on the Post-Soviet states, territory of the former Soviet Union for a protected area which is kept "forever wild". It is the highest degree of environmental protection for the assigned areas, which are strictly ...

' (strict nature reserve) located on the northern slope of the

Greater Caucasus The Greater Caucasus, ''Didi K’avk’asioni''; is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains. It stretches for about from west-northwest to east-southeast, from the Taman Peninsula of the Black Sea to the Absheron Peninsula of t ...

in the Dzheyrahsky Assinsky-basin, adjacent to the

Skalisty Range The Skalisty Range (; ) is a range of mountains in far Russian Far East, North-eastern Russia, part of the East Siberian System. Administratively the mountain chain belongs to the Sakha Republic. The area of the range is remote and desolate. The ...

(a chain of mid-height mountains that runs parallel to the main ridge of the Caucasus, but just to the north). Rivers in the reserve include the Assa and Armkhi that feed into the

Terek River The Terek () is a major river in the Northern Caucasus. It originates in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region of Georgia and flows through North Caucasus region of Russia into the Caspian Sea. It rises near the juncture of the Greater Caucasus ...

. The northern third of the territory is forested, the ridge area is alpine meadows and mountain steppe. Over 160 historical and cultural sites are also protected by the reserve - martial towers, temples, necropolis tracts, sacred groves, and structures from ancient, medieval and later cultures, many of the

Ingush people Ingush (, pronounced ), historically known as ''Durdzuks'', ''Gligvi'' and ''Kists (ethnonym), Kists'', are a Northeast Caucasian languages, Northeast Caucasian ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Republic of Ingushetia in central Caucasus, but a ...

. The reserve is situated in the

Dzheyrakhsky District Dzheyrakhsky District (; , ) is an administrative and municipalLaw #5-RZ district (raion), one of the four in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia. It is located in the south of the republic. The area of the district is .Official website of the Re ...

Ingushetia Ingushetia or Ingushetiya, officially the Republic of Ingushetia, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic is part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with the country o ...

Topography

The Erzi Reserve is in mountainous terrain on the north slope of the Caucasus. The Assa River and the Armkhi River run south to north through the reserve (the Assa is the western border), on their way to the Terek River which flows into the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

to the east. Through the reserve just north of the main ridge (which is of shales and sandstones) of the Caucasus runs a lower, parallel ridge of carbonate rock called the "Rocky Ridge" ( :ru:Скалистый хребет (Кавказ)). The depression between the main ridge and the Rocky Ridge is called the "north Jura". The landscape features mountain range spurs over deep river valleys, steep south slopes and gently sloping northern slopes. 2% of the reserve is rock and glacier above 3,500 meters.

Climate and Ecoregion

Erzi is located in the ''

Caucasus mixed forests The Caucasus mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in the Caucasus Mountains, as well as the adjacent Lesser Caucasus range and the eastern end of the Pontic Mountains. Geography The ecoregion covers an area of ...

'' ecoregion. This ecoregion is located along the Caucasus Mountains between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. One of the highest levels of species endemism and diversity in the world: 23% of vascular species, and 10% of vertebrates. The climate of Erzi is '' Humid continental climate, cool summer'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

'' (Dfc)''). This climate is characterised by long cold winters, and short, cool summers. In the Erzi reserve, altitude is the driver of local climate: below 2,000 meters the climate is warm and dry; above 2,000 meters it is cold and wet. The average number of days of precipitation is 113 days per year. Summer rains tend to be heavy and violent, due to rising thermal air current. The average temperature in January is , in July it is .

Flora and fauna

About one-third of the reserve is forested, mostly on the lower north slopes. The forests are mostly oak (on the Rocky Ridge and depression to 800 meters), and beech (to 1,500 meters) communities. Underbrush at the mid-level include sea buckthorn (

Hippophae ''Hippophae'', from Ancient Greek ἵππος (''híppos''), meaning "horse", and φάος (''pháos''), meaning "light", is a genus of flowering plants in the family Elaeagnaceae. They are deciduous shrubs. They are exceptionally hardy plants, ...

), willow, gray alder, and in places extensive hazel. Approaching the sub-alpine zone the brush features Caucasian rhododendron. Above 2,000 meters but below the alpine zone at 2,500 meters is a belt of mountain forest-steppe: wheatgrass-wormwood-cereal xerophytic steppes on shallow meadow soils. The animal life of the reserve is still being inventories and studied, as the reserve is one of the newest in the system. As of 2016, 115 species of birds had been recorded, 60 species of mammals (15 of which were hooved, 10 were bats, and 20 were rodents).

Ecoeducation and access

As a strict nature reserve, the Erzi Reserve is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with 'environmental education' purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. There are half a dozen well-developed 'ecotourist' routes in the reserve, however, that are open to the public. Accommodations are available in buffer zones outside the park, and some excursions have daily bus service to the trail heads. Permits must be obtained in advance. The main office is in the city of

Nazran Nazran (; ) is the largest city in Ingushetia, Russia. It served as the republic's capital from 1991 to 2000, until it was replaced by Magas, which was built for this purpose. It is the most populous city in the republic: Etymology The name ...

References

External links