Area: 406 thousand hectares

Criteria: (x)

Status: inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001

Component objects:
Sikhote-Alin State Natural Biosphere Reserve with a buffer zone and the regional reserve “Goraliy” (692150, Primorsky Territory, Terneysky district, Terney village, Partizanskaya St., 44)

The first description of the nature of Central Sikhote-Alin was made by Vladimir Arsenyev at the beginning of the twentieth century. Then he noted the uniqueness, diversity, and mosaic nature of the natural systems of the mountain forests of the Sikhote-Alin, which he defined as the “Great Forest.”

The property includes flat and mountain tundra, one of the largest remaining tracts of primary boreal forest in Europe, an extensive wetland system. Observation of this territory, which has been protected for more than 50 years, provides invaluable information about the natural processes that determine the biodiversity of taiga ecosystems.

Russian south Far East- one of the largest and least affected by humans areas, where natural ancient coniferous-deciduous and broad-leaved forests have been preserved. The region is located on the great dispersal route of plants and animals along the Pacific coast of Asia from the tropics to temperate latitudes. In this regard, warm and cold-loving representatives of flora and fauna live here, including many endemic Manchurian species, Okhotsk species and even subtropical ones.

The reserve contains many rare and endangered species, a significant part of which is preserved only within its boundaries. The flora of higher plants here numbers about 1,200 species, more than 370 species of birds are known within the Central Sikhote-Alin, and 71 species of mammals are known.

The mountainous country of Sikhote-Alin is the last large integral territory in the world inhabited by the Amur tiger. Many other rare and endangered species endemic to the region need protection - the Amur goral, the white-breasted bear, the Japanese and black crane, the black stork, the scaly merganser, the fish owl, ginseng, rhododendron faurie, etc. Today Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve- the largest well-protected natural reserve in the belt of coniferous-deciduous forests of Eurasia and America.

Picturesque relief, deep rivers, combined with an exceptional diversity of flora and fauna - exotic plants and animals reminiscent of the tropics, give the nature of Sikhote-Alin unique features. There are many objects of aesthetic and recreational significance here: rock formations in the taiga, waterfalls, lakes and rapids, bizarre stone outcrops, reefs, sandy bays along the coast of the Sea of Japan. On the territory of the reserve and adjacent territory There are numerous monuments of different archaeological cultures.

This is a place of volcanic origin in the Russian Far East. Sikhote-Alin is the territory of the Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories, through which the watershed of the rivers of the Amur basins (the valleys of the Ussuri rivers), the Sea of Japan and the Tatar Strait passed.

Translated from the Manchu language, Sikhote-Alin means ridge big rivers. There really are a lot of mountain ranges here, fast rivers with clean water.

The natural world is not comparable to any region of our state in terms of the diversity of animals and plants. The most ancient relic species of flora and fauna have been preserved here. Individual peaks of the mountain ranges exceed a height of two kilometers. Their slopes only seem velvety from afar, but are actually covered with impenetrable taiga.

One of the rivers flows through this area. greatest rivers Russia is a majestic, calm and wide Amur. In the Amur there is such a species diversity of fish that is not found in any other river in our country (carp, bream, silver carp, catfish, burbot, rudd, Friday horse, white and black carp, pike, aukh, Chinese perch, kaluga, chum salmon - all there are countless species).

IN summer time In the Sea of Okhotsk, large beluga dolphins and small (9m) minke whales come close to the shore. And in the area of the Shantar Islands, from the shore you can see fountains of giants - one hundred and fifty-ton smooth whales. In a word, a monument of nature.

Traces of the ancients in Sikhote-Alin

In the floodplains of the Sikhote-Alin rivers, archaeologists have discovered human settlements from the Neolithic era (V-III centuries BC). There were villages that were located on terraces 4-6 m high. This ancient culture of the southern part of Primorye was called Zaisanovskaya. Interestingly, many of the artifacts discovered by scientists are made of obsidian: knife-like blades, piercings, scrapers, double-cut arrowheads, triangular knives with a beveled blade, slate knives and points.

During excavations on one of the Sikhote-Alin plateaus, archaeologists discovered the skeleton of a huge stone structure. The layout of the building and the nature of the finds allow us to conclude that this is the palace of the Bohai Kingdom, which existed on the territory of Manchuria, Primorsky Krai and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula more than 1000 years ago. In the Sikhote-Alin mountains, the remains of buildings of this ancient culture have already been found: a signal tower, a castle and several fortifications, which are attributed not only protective, but also religious functions.

Guest from the sky

Another circumstance that attracted the attention of the public and scientists to Sikhote-Alin was the fall of a meteorite that occurred on February 12, 1947. The heavenly guest turned out to weigh 70 tons. It reached the ground in the form of a pile of debris, exploding in the atmosphere ( it turned out very well). Meteoric rain covered an area of 35 square meters. km. According to eyewitnesses, the flash was brighter than the sun, a roar was heard within a radius of 350 km, powerful impacts shook the ground and buildings, and clouds of dust rose into the air. The largest crater was 6 m deep and 25.5 m in diameter.

To study the crater field, where the fireball left more than 100 craters, an expedition was organized by the Institute of Astronomy and Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR. Chemical analysis of fragments of the Sikhote-Alin meteorite showed that it was a giant piece of iron with minor impurities of nickel and cobalt. It is one of the ten largest meteorites in the world.

In 2001, the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as natural object, thereby becoming the fourteenth site with World Heritage status in Russia.

The Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve is a mountain range in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, about 900 kilometers wide northeast of the Russian Pacific seaport of Vladivostok. The highest peaks are Tordoki-Yani (2077 meters above sea level) and Ko (2003 meters) in the Khabarovsk Territory, and Anik (1,933 meters) in Primorsky.

Although biosphere reserve located in temperate zone, species that are typical of the northern taiga, coexist here with tropical species, Far Eastern leopards, Amur tigers and the Asian black bear. Due to competition with tigers, there are very few wolves in this area. The oldest tree in this area is the thousand-year-old Japanese yew.

This page shows a map of the reserve and its photos:

Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve in the photo

In the 1910s and 1920s, Sikhote-Alin was widely studied by Vladimir Arsenyev, who described his adventures in several books, in particular Dersu Uzala. Based on this book in 1975, Akira Kurosawa made an Oscar-winning film of the same name.

On February 12, 1947, one of the largest meteorite showers occurred in the mountains: a meteorite exploded in the atmosphere and scattered many tons of metal over an area of about 1.3 square meters. Meters. As a result, craters were formed, the largest of which is 26 meters in diameter.

Look at the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve in the photo:

The flora and fauna of the reserve is very rich: red and spotted deer, roe deer, wild boar, Himalayan and Brown bear, Far Eastern wild cat, grub, sable, Amur and Siberian tigers. The rivers are full of fish: delicious trout, char, chum salmon, as well as simi and pink salmon.

Lynx in the Abrek tract photo trap

The vegetation is also diverse: some communities are replaced by others. Sikhote-Alin is a forested area - approximately 95 percent of its territory is occupied by forests of various communities. Mongolian oak forests grow on coastal slopes. Sometimes the constant influence of winds and fogs leads to the appearance of bushes - similar to crooked oak forests. They are special, very strange and even mystical.

In 2001, Sikhote-Alin was placed on the UNESCO list world heritage, citing its importance for the survival of endangered species such as the scaly-sided (Chinese) merganser, owlfish and Amur tiger. The World Heritage Site has a total area of 16,319 square meters. Kilometers, of which the land zone of the center of Sikhote-Alin includes 3,985 square meters. Kilometers. The core zone can only be explored in the company of rangers.

Sikhote-Alin Biosphere State Reserve

The Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve is a biosphere state reserve in the Primorsky Territory. It was founded on February 10, 1935 to protect the Amur tiger and sables found in the area. The area of the reserve is 401,428 hectares. Hunting and fishing in the reserve is strictly prohibited.

The reserve offers beautiful sights and a variety of outdoor activities. By visiting the observation post, you can observe first-hand the wildlife, seabirds and seal colonies that rest on the small islands.

If you're interested in a bit of a hike, we recommend taking an excursion along the coastline to visit the headlands with rocky cliffs. While walking along the Sea of Japan, you will be able to watch rare species gorals feed on tufts of grass.

If you enjoy tracking wildlife, we recommend taking a guided tour through the remote forest. You will definitely see distant tracks left by ungulates and mammals. About species of mammals that are included in the Red Book live there.

The hydrographic network of the reserve is represented by the rivers Taezhnaya, Serebryanka, Dzhigitovka and Kolumbe with their numerous tributaries and lakes Blagodatnoye, Japanskoye and Golubichnoye.

If you are an avid bird lover, why not consider visiting one of the lakes, which make excellent viewing points for white-tailed cormorant, hazel grouse, Chinese merganser, mandarin duck, osprey, Asian grouse, fish owl, black stork, white-tailed eagle and more.

Also, the administration of the biosphere reserve offers a unique opportunity for those who are deeply concerned about the protection wildlife. You can join the fight against poaching: a ranger patrol in four four-wheel drive vehicles and on foot (on skis in winter) through the nature reserve, through forests and hills, and numerous valleys.

You can also take a tour of the eco-center and meet enthusiastic teachers who provide similar education and give lessons.

Region of Russia: Primorsky Krai

Component objects: Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve named after K.G. Abramov and Goralia Regional Sanctuary

Location: eastern and central watershed part of the Sikhote-Alin ridge

Natural conditions: The climate has a pronounced monsoon character, manifested in a sharply opposite change in wind direction in winter and summer

Height above sea level: 54−1722 m (98−1 895 m)

Square: 0.395 million hectares

Status: inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001

The south of the Far East within Russia is one of the largest and least altered by man centers of conservation of communities of ancient coniferous-deciduous and broad-leaved forests. Due to the location of the region on the great route of distribution of plants and animals along the Pacific coast of Asia from the tropics to temperate latitudes, a very complex and motley picture of interpenetration and mixing of heterogeneous elements of flora and fauna, especially “southerners” and “northerners”, is observed here.

This territory contains a lot of rare and endangered species, a significant part of which is preserved only within its borders. The flora of higher plants here numbers about 1,200 species; more than 370 species of birds and 71 species of mammals are known within the Central Sikhote-Alin.

Picturesque relief forms, deep rivers, combined with an exceptional diversity of flora and fauna, the presence of plants and animals of exotic appearance, reminiscent of the tropics, give the nature of Sikhote-Alin completely unique features. There are many objects of aesthetic and recreational significance located here: rock masses that stand out picturesquely among the taiga, waterfalls, lakes and rapids (Kemsky rapids, Big Amginsky waterfall, Shanduisky mountain lakes and others), bizarre stone outcrops, reefs, sandy bays of the coast of the Sea of Japan .

The Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve is one of the most important environmental protection zones of the Far East and contains all the richness and splendor of the Far Eastern nature.

Location

The reserve was founded in 1935 on the territory of the Krasnoarmeysky, Terneysky and Dalnegorsky districts of the Primorsky Territory. The total area of the reserve is 387.2 thousand hectares, of which 2.9 thousand hectares are in the sea area and 4 thousand hectares are in the Abrek tract.
The reserve is located on the eastern and western slopes mountain system Sikhote-Alin stretches for 1200 km in length, with a width of 250 km.

The relief of the reserve is very diverse - it includes the rocky shores of the sea coast, and a number of plateaus, ridges and mountain ranges, separated by deep valleys of numerous picturesque rivers.
The initial goal of creating the reserve was to protect and restore the sable population, which was almost completely exterminated at that time. Today, the reserve is a place of protection and scientific observation of the pride of the animal world of the Far East - the Amur tiger.

The Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve includes a volcanic field whose last eruption occurred 8,900 years ago. Today it is a peaceful and quiet place. The pride of the reserve is Mount Tardoki-Yani (2090 m), the highest peak of the Sikhote-Alin ridge. Other significant peaks of the reserve include the following mountains: Podnebesnaya, Snezhnaya, Shishkina, Tumannaya, Camel and others. The slopes of the mountains are very steep, and the mountains themselves are made of quartz porphyry, granites, gabbrodiorites, sandstones, basalts, shales and crystalline limestones.

Numerous mountain rivers and springs flow through the reserve, the most important of which is the Columbe River, the right tributary of the Great Ussurka. Three rivers of the reserve flow into the sea: Dzhigitovka, Taezhnaya and Serebryanka. The most significant lakes of the reserve are Golubichnoye, Solontsovoye and Blagodatnoye.

The main objects of protection in the reserve:

yew groves and cedar-fir forests;
Rhododendron Faurie, Primrose Iez, Schisandra chinensis;
ecosystem of the Abrek tract;
goral habitats;
lakes Blagodatnoye, Golubichnoye, Solontsovye lakes.

Climate

In winter, the reserve is dominated by continental cold temperatures. air masses, cool oceanic in summer. The coastal areas of the reserve experience foggy, rainy summers; long cool spring; dry and clear autumn and windy winter with little snow. When cyclones invade from the Sea of Japan in winter, short-term thaws are possible. Average winter temperatures: 13-20 degrees below zero, summer temperatures: 18-30 degrees above zero.

Nature

The vegetation of the reserve has a pronounced altitudinal zone. From sea level to altitudes of 110-150 meters, Far Eastern herbaceous and shrub vegetation is observed; Oak forests grow up to heights of 500 meters. Spruce-cedar-broad-leaved forests predominate at altitudes of 200-300m (less often at altitudes of 500-600m), fir-spruce forests - at altitudes from 560 to 1200m, stone-birch - from 1150 to 1300m; and at altitudes above 1300 meters there are thickets of dwarf cedar and areas of mountain tundra.

The river valleys are covered with poplar, chozenia, willow, alder and ash-elm forests.
The dominant tree species are Korean cedar, Mongolian oak, Ayan spruce, white fir, yellow and woolly birch, Amur linden, small-leaved maple, choicenia, Maksimovich poplar, valley elm and Manchurian ash. Very diverse in the reserve species composition shrub vegetation, including: mock orange, hazel and Manchurian hazel, Eleutherococcus senticosus, spirea, honeysuckle, euonymus. From herbaceous plants What grows here are: sedges, kochededniks, shieldweeds, kakali, asters, basil and others. 40 species of plants growing in the reserve are considered rare. There are also Red Book plants: pointed yew, short-fruited rhododendron (Fori) and Sikhotinsky rhododendron.

In total, in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve there are:

higher vascular plants - at least 1149 species;
bryophytes - about 120 species;
lichens – about 368 species;
algae – 670 species;
mushrooms – about 563 species;
higher mammals - 63 species;
birds - 342 species;
reptiles and amphibians - 15 species;
river fish - 16 species;
marine life - about 600 species;
insects - about 3500 species.

Objects of special protection in the reserve are the Amur tiger, the rarest representative of the artiodactyl family - the goral, as well as Red Book animals and birds: sika deer, mandarin duck, grouse grouse and scaly merganser.

The following are common in the reserve: brown and Himalayan bears, sable, harza, weasel, American mink, wild boar, roe deer, musk deer, red deer, jay, Ussuri cormorant, white-rumped swift, hazel grouse, nuthatch, black-headed chickadee, nutcracker, raccoon dog, Far Eastern forest cat, spotted deer, osprey, fish owl, crested eagle, Steller's and white-tailed eagles, black stork.