Ustyurt Nature Reserve ( kz, Үстірт мемлекеттік табиғи қорығы, ''Üstırt memlekettık tabiği qoryğy''; russian: Устюрт национальный заповедник, ''Ustyurt natsional'nyy zapovednik''), or the Ustyurt National Biosphere Reserve, is a
nature reserve, created on 12 July 1984 in what was then the
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (K.S.S.R.), in
Mangystau Region, southwest
Kazakhstan. Its area is , and lies within
Ustyurt Plateau. The reserve lies near the borders with
Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan. Its purpose is to preserve the deserts as well as the rare flora and fauna.
The
Sherkala mountain and the Valley of Balls lie within the reserve. In addition, it contains a big variety of flora and fauna.
Climate
The temperatures vary greatly: from more than during the summer months, down to less than during the winter months. The average annual precipitation is only .
Flora and fauna
There are 250 species of flora from 163 different genera and families within the reserve, such as
cactus,
grey sage,
feather grass Feathergrass is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
*'' Nassella'', a genus of bunchgrasses
*'' Stipa'', a genus of perennial hermaphroditic grasses
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