Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve ( ka, კინტრიშის სახელმწიფო ნაკრძალი) is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

Kobuleti Municipality Kobuleti ( ka, ქობულეთის მუნიციპალიტეტი) is a district of Georgia (country), Georgia, in the autonomous republic of Adjara. Its main town is Kobuleti. Since 1921, the municipality's territory has been ...

Adjara Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a ...

region of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in the upper part of the Kintrishi River at an altitude of 300–2,500 meters above sea level between the village of Tskhemvani (Tskhemlovana) and Khino Mountain in the

Meskheti Range Meskheti Range ( ka, მესხეთის ქედი) (Meskh/Meskhet/Meskhetian Range, Adzhar-Imereti Range, Achara-Imereti Range Adzhar-Akhaltsikh Range also Moschian Mountains) is a part of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range in Meskheti ...

. It was established in 1959 to preserve

relict A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon. Biology A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas. Geology and geomorphology In geology, a r ...

humid forests and wetlands, in addition to its high number of

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

and threatened flora and fauna. Because of the ancient forests and high biodiversity within the nature reserve, it was inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

in 2021 as part of the

Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands The Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands () is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Georgia (country), Georgia, which comprises parts of the Colchis Lowland along some of western Georgia's Black Sea coastline. It was List of World Heritage Sites by year of ...

site.

Geography

The broader ''Kintrishi Protected Areas'' include the Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve and

Kintrishi National Park The Kintrishi National Park ( ka, კინტრიშის დაცული ლანდშაფტი) is a protected landscape in Kobuleti Municipality, Adjara, Western Georgia. Located at the gorge of the Kintrishi River, it was establ ...

The Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve is located in the valley of the river Kintrishi, which originates from

Mount Khino Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

Mt'a Khino: Georgia
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Bethesda, MD, USA and discharges into the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

near the resort town of

Kobuleti Kobuleti ( ka, ქობულეთი, ) is a town in Adjara, western Georgia (country), Georgia, situated on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. It is the seat of Kobuleti Municipality and a seaside resort. It was known as ''Çürüksu'' durin ...

. At its lowest elevation, it is at above sea level, and its alpine pastures are at elevation of . Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve is bordered from the north by the Kobuleti forest administration, from the east by Shuakhevi Municipality, from the south by

Keda Municipality Keda ( ka, ქედის მუნიციპალიტეტი), ''Keda Municiṕaliťeťi'') is a municipality in Georgia's southwestern autonomous republic of Adjara with a population of 16,700 people (2021). It covers an area of and the ...

and from the southwest by

Mtirala National Park Mtirala National Park ( Georgian: მტირალას ეროვნული პარკი; meaning "to cry"; previously, Tsiskara Reserve) is a protected area in Adjara region, Western Georgia.

. In the high mountains of the reserve, at a height of , there is the small Tbikeli lake. The nearby lake Sidzerdzali is outside the boundaries of the reserve. Untitled Panorama4

Climate

Surrounding mountains entrap humid air from the sea, thus providing high humidity in Kintrishi. Over the course of the year, the amount of precipitation is the same as in the coast of

, around . The mean temperature in August is , and in January.

Biodiversity

As part of the Euxine–Colchic deciduous forests ecoregion along an elevational gradient. Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve contains a wide diversity of ecosystems, including lowland forests and montane meadows. Over 900 species of plants are found in the area, including the

Common hornbeam Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, ...

Oriental beech ''Fagus orientalis'', commonly known as the Oriental beech, is a deciduous tree in the beech family Fagaceae. It is native to Eurasia, in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Description ''Fagus orientalis'' is a large tree, capable of reaching he ...

, and Caucasian fir. 65 of these species are

to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. In addition, the reserve is hotspot of

mayfly Mayflies (also known as shadflies or fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern United States, as Canadian soldiers in the American Great Lakes region, and as up-winged flies in the United Kingdom) are aquatic insects belonging to the orde ...

with 34 species. Roughly 189 bird species, 65 mammal species, and 14 reptile species have also been observed in or around the reserve. The reserve is located in a bottleneck where more than 1 million migrating raptors of 35 species pass through during the autumn.

References

National parks of Georgia (country) Protected areas established in 1959 Geography of Adjara Tourist attractions in Adjara {{Georgia-geo-stub

Geography

Climate

Biodiversity

See also

References