In this article we want to talk about the Tigirek Reserve, located in the Altai Territory. Its area is more than forty thousand hectares and includes three areas: Hanharinsky, Tigireksky, Beloretsky.
History of creation and relief of the protected area
Tigireksky Nature Reserve was founded in 1999. The purpose of the creation was to study and preserve the animal and plant world of mid-mountain and low-mountain landscapes of the Altai Territory. The reserve is located in the southern part of Altai.
The terrain is mid-mountain. The average altitude ranges from 700 to 1000 meters above sea level. The eastern part of the reserve partially captures the Tigiretsky ridge. The relief here has an alpine character with spiky high peaks. The highest point of the Tigiretsky ridge is Black Mountain (2015 meters), which is located in the southeastern part of the reserve.
The Mount Developed, which is a historical object, is also known in these places. The development of rocks was carried out here in 1842, here rose quartz and aquamarine, and other varieties of semiprecious stones were mined.
Natural monuments
Altai Territory is rich in attractions. Only in the Tigirek reserve there are six natural monuments. One of them is Mount Semipeshchernaya. This is a very beautiful rock from Upper Silurian limestone. There are several caves in it. Among them, the most popular caves are Gloomy and Struna.
Natural monuments include the Hyena Lair Cave. It is a karst cavity of small size. She gained her fame thanks to the remains of fossils of the ancient fauna found in it.
But in the cave of Strashna, the remains of people belonging to an unknown species were found (a period of 35-50 millennia ago).
On the territory of the reserve there are still caves of foot and mouth disease and Log Terrible. The first one is significant. The length is two hundred and ten meters, and the depth is about thirty-five meters. The cave has three entrances in the form of wide dips. Terrible Log is a real karst canyon with many caves on rocky slopes. The ravine is located in the ravine, which is a monument to the archeology of Altai. A stream flows along the entire length of the cave, now lost in the bowels, then returning to the surface. In general, there are many more caves that have not yet been studied.
Rivers of the reserve
River valleys in the conservation area are gorges and canyons with steep cliff banks. The western and northern parts of the territory already have a more soft and calm relief.
The river network of the reserve is quite dense and at the same time branched. The largest waterway of these places is Belaya, belonging to the Charash basin. Irkutka, Bolshaya Berloshya, Bolshoi Tigirek, Krokhaliha flow into it from the right side, and Strizhanka from the left. In general, the upper reaches of the Belaya River are very beautiful, unique places.
In the southwestern part of the river originate: East Aley, Glubokaya, Chesnokov, Bolshaya Cherepakhina. They are filled with snow and rainwater. In spring, pronounced floods are observed, and in summer there are floods. There are very few bogs in this region.
Animals of Tigirek Reserve
I must say that the fauna of the reserve is very rich and diverse. It is represented by 63 species of animals, 173 species of birds, many reptiles, several amphibians and some bone fish.
Tigireksky Reserve is rich in reptiles. There are 1700 varieties here. It should be noted that invertebrates have been studied here not so long ago, and therefore we can safely say that the number of their species is not known exactly.
Altai Territory has a rich wildlife. Weasels, ermines, foxes live in the conservation area, and the margin here is quite widespread.
Lynx, wolf, wolverine, badger and sable are less common. Of the artiodactyls, Siberian roe deer, musk deer, red deer, elk and wild boar live here.
As for the birds, the Tigirek Nature Reserve became home for many species. The inhabitants here are protected and protected from outside interference in their lives. Of the birds here, woodpeckers, black grouse, forest skates, partridge, field harrier are found. There are even very rare at the moment black stork and griffon vulture, which are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
Of the amphibians, sharp-faced frogs and gray toads live in the reserve. The latter are found up to a height of 1500 meters, and this is very unusual for Altai.
Reptiles of this region are represented by common snake and viper, patterned snake, as well as several varieties of lizards.
Fish in the rivers of the reserve
Tigireksky Reserve is completely devoid of lakes. The hydraulic system is represented only by mountain rivers, which have a very strong and fast flow. Their waters are inhabited by grayling, taimen, pike, river minnow, dace, Siberian gudgeon, perch, burbot, char.
Taimen in the Altai Territory is very rare. He was even included in the regional Red Book of the region. Thirty-eight endangered and rare species of animals are found in the reserve, among them: 14 species of animals, 16 species of birds, one species of fish, seven species of insects. All of them have long been on the lists of the regional Red Book of Altai.
Plant world of the region
According to 2011 data, the flora of the reserve totals 722 species of vascular plants only. And there are also bryophytes, and algae, mushrooms and lichens. The vegetation in the protected area varies depending on how high the terrain is. Therefore, one can distinguish such plant belts:
- low mountain;
- mid-mountain;
- high mountain.
The base of the cover of the Tigirek Range is taiga. Preglacial plants grow in it, a kind of relics - common daphne, European ungulate, broad-leaved bell, Ural forests and many others.
Most of the reserve is aspen-fir forests. The valleys of the rivers were occupied by firs. But the cedar forests occupied the mountain-taiga belt. As for the taiga, lichens are of particular interest in it. Here they feel great and in conditions of high humidity they almost completely covered tree trunks, reaching a height of twelve meters. Lichens even hang with huge "beards" from tree branches.
In the alpine zone (alpine-tundra), alpine meadows prevail. At heights, they change to meadow steppes and shrubs.
Conservation area
Tigireksky Reserve - a closed protected area. To comply with the special regime that operates on its lands, a special unit of the state inspection has been created. It is engaged in the protection of the territory.
The main task of this department is the prevention, suppression, identification and disclosure of offenses on protected lands.
Protected natural areas of the Altai Territory are closely monitored. I must say that unauthorized persons are prohibited from entering the reserve. To stay in this territory you must have special permission. Hunting and any other activity is prohibited here. All protective measures are aimed at protecting unique natural and animal communities from the harmful effects of people.
Visiting the reserve is possible only with specially organized excursions along certain routes. You can also visit natural monuments and military historical sites.
Historical monuments
There are historical monuments in the reserve zone: Tigirek outpost and Beloretsk redoubt.
Tigirek outpost is a monument of engineering and military art. It is part of the Kolyvano-Kuznetsk defensive line (eighteenth century), and is a fortification consisting of a bastion and redoubts. To date, only a sufficiently powerful shaft and a very wide ditch have survived. A historical monument is located in the village of Tigirek.
The Beloretsk redoubt is the remains of a moat and rampart. It is located on the Beloretsk cordon on the left bank of the Belaya River. The local area is completely covered with fir forests with tall and dense grasses. In such dense vegetation, it is quite difficult to find the remains of a redoubt. The shaft and the ditch have a rectangular shape, in principle they are well preserved. Naturally, they no longer have the original height and depth, but nevertheless, one can judge by their former size.
