Arasbaran Sanctuary
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Arasbaran, Garadagh
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_in_Arasbaran_forest.jpg) Maral deer in Arasbaran |
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| location |
 Iran
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| surface | 724.60 hectares |
| WDPA ID | 17176 |
| Geographical location | 38 ° 54 ' N , 46 ° 52' E |
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| Setup date | 1971 |
| administration | unknown |
The Arasbaran Conservation Area is located in northwestern Iran in the southern foothills of the Caucasus on the border with Armenia and Azerbaijan . It was established as a game reserve in 1971 on an area of 383 square kilometers. Today the reserve covers nearly 725 square kilometers and is part of a UNESCO biosphere reserve . Since 2007 the area has been on the list of proposals for UNESCO World Heritage.
Flora and fauna
The mountains, which reach over 2200 m altitude, are covered with forests, alpine grasslands, steppes and rocks. A specialty among the vegetation zones are the forests, which are reminiscent of Hyrkanian forests , but are more dominated by Caucasian species. The area is home to some Persian leopards , but they are subject to re-hunting by the population. In particular, poisoned meat bait designed for wolves is a major problem. In contrast, the populations of prey such as wild goats and Armenian wild sheep are relatively high. Other animals in the reserve include brown bears , northern lynx and deer . A release program for maral deer has so far been unsuccessful. The animals currently live in an enclosure.
Adjacent protected areas
A few kilometers northwest on the opposite side of the Aras River in Azerbaijan is the Basutchay Reserve , which is directly adjacent to the Armenian Shikahogh Reserve . About 70 km to the west, on Iranian territory, lies the 884 square kilometer Kiamaky game reserve , which is one of the best protected areas in the Iranian Caucasus and is home to a relatively large number of the rare Persian leopards. Even further to the west is the 972 square kilometer Marakan Conservation Area .
swell
- Ali Aghili: Leopard Survey in Caucasus Ecoregion (Northwest) of Iran. Leopard conservation society. Center for Sustainable Development (CENESTA). Iran Department of Environment, Natural Environment & Biodiversity office (November 2005) online PDF .
- Shackleton, D., M., (ed.) And the IUCN / SSC Caprinae Specialist Group, 1997. Wild Sheep and Goats and their Relatives. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan for Caprinae. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
