Chosrow reservation
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Chosrow reservation
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| location | Ararat , Armenia | |
| surface | 238.8 km² | |
| WDPA ID | 1631 | |
| Geographical location | 40 ° 3 ' N , 44 ° 54' E | |
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| Setup date | September 13, 1958 | |
The Khosrov reserve is located in the southwest of Armenia in the province of Ararat , southeast of the capital Yerevan .
The area has been under protection since 1958 and covers an area of almost 240 km².
history
The protection of the reserve goes back to the 4th century, when the Armenian ruler Chosrav III. placed two hunting reserves on the Azat River under his protection, one of which is known to this day as the "Chosrow Forest" and gave the Chosrow protected area its name. In the neighboring village of Garni there is a former summer residence of the Armenian kings, which was built between the 3rd and 13th centuries.
In 1958, under Soviet rule, the Khosrow reserve was designated on an area of 148.6 km², which was expanded to 293 km² in 1990. In the years 2006-2007, however, the protected area was reduced to 238.8 km², with the habitats of the threatened Armenian wild sheep ( Ovis orientalis gmelinii ) being outsourced from the reserve and given to private hands. The official protection status of the Chosrow Reserve is classified by the IUCN in category Ia .
climate
The overall climate of the protected area is continental. The differences in altitude result in several climate zones. The lower-lying regions between 900 and 1300 m are relatively arid and only receive an average of 350–450 mm of precipitation per year. The winters here are relatively mild with average January temperatures of −4 ° C. Occasionally a blanket of snow covers these areas. The summer is long and dry.
The average amount of precipitation in the regions between 1400 and 2000 m is 500–600 mm, in January the average temperatures in these locations are −5 to −7 ° C, but can also fall to −30 ° C. During the months of November to March there is a permanent snow cover in these areas. In 2000- 2500 m altitude, temperatures can drop to -42 ° C up and are in the January average at -8 to -12 ° C. In these mountain areas, the summer is short and relatively cool. The average amount of precipitation at these altitudes is around 800 mm per year.
Landscape and vegetation
The landscape of the reserve is very rugged and consists mainly of plateaus that are cut by deep ravines. Most of the slopes of the reserve are therefore relatively steep. About half of the protected area is at altitudes between 1500 and 2300 m . So-called “ badlands ” predominate below 1500 m .
Numerous springs spring from the mountains, while lakes and swamps are rare. Only two mountain rivers, the Azat and the Wedi with their tributaries, are in the reserve. Both come from the Geghama Mountains and are digging large V-shaped valleys on their way to the southwest.
In the arid low-lying areas between 900 and 1250 m , semi-deserts dominate , above that there is grassland up to a height of around 2500 m , which is interspersed with light juniper forests from an altitude of 1500 m and also with oak forests from 1600 m . Above 2500 m there are subalpine and alpine meadows. In total, forests cover around 16% of the park area, grasslands around 20% and xerophilic plant communities on rocky terrain around 64%. The landscape has always been influenced by the local population. Although some land was given up in 1985 and the owners were compensated, some villages are within the reserve. About 40 families are currently cultivating around 20 hectares of land in the protected area. The Gorovan Reserve , which lies on the edge of the Khosrov Reserve and is the only real desert protection area in Armenia, is exploited by sand mining and grazing.
Not far from the reserve is the Geghard Monastery , which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
Wildlife
Originally 41 species of mammals were found in the reserve. However, due to the outsourcing of the Urts mountain range , valuable arid areas were lost, which means that 12 species are no longer found in the reserve. These specialists include drying the hemiechinus ( Hemiechinus auritus ), various gerbils ( M. dahli , M. vinogradovi , M. tristrami ), two types of horses jumpers and Asiatic Wildcat ( Felis lybica ornata ). Even the rare Armenian wild sheep ( O. o. Gmelinii ) can only be found outside of the protected areas in the Urts Mountains due to the reduction in the size of the protected area. Before that, the Khosrov reserve was the only protected area in Armenia in which the species was found. By handing the affected areas over to private hands, the probability that the wild sheep will survive in the area of the Urt was significantly reduced. The area currently used by the animals is only about 20 km × 8 km in size and is increasingly enclosed by settlements. Wild sheep in Armenia only occur in the southern Sangesur Mountains in the southeast of the country.
However, the reserve is still endowed with abundant wildlife and some particularly rare species. The Persian leopard ( P. p. Saxicolor ), the Syrian brown bear ( U. a. Syriacus ), the wild goat ( C. aegagrus ) and the tigeriltis ( Vormela peregusna peregusna ) still occur in the reserve.
In addition, there are wild boars ( Sus scrofa ), wolves ( Canis lupus ), Eurasian lynxes ( Lynx lynx ), red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ), badgers ( Meles meles ), hares ( Lepus europaeus ), weasels ( Mustela nivalis ) and stone marten ( Martes foina) ) in the protected area. Recently even the Indian porcupine ( H. indica ) could be detected.
The 192 bird species make up 56% of the bird species in all of Armenia. Of these, 83 species also nest in the protected area. Five particularly endangered bird species still find adequate habitats in the Chosrow reserve. These are the black vulture ( Aegypius monachus ), the steppe harrier ( Circus macrourus ), the red chalk hawk ( Falco naumanni ), the blue roller ( Coracias garrulus ) and the half- ringed flycatcher ( Ficedula semitorquata ). In addition, the large variety of birds of prey is particularly noteworthy. Bearded vulture ( Gypaetus barbatus ), Egyptian vulture ( Neophron percnopterus ), griffon vulture ( Gyps fulvus ), peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ), Lanner falcon ( Falco biarmicus ) are just a selection. Chicken birds are represented by kaspi king fowl ( Tetraogallus caspius ), chukar fowl ( Alectoris chukar ), partridge ( Perdix perdix ) and quail ( Coturnix coturnix ). The semi-desert areas are populated , for example, by goat milkers ( Caprimulgus europaeus ) and European bee-eaters ( Merops apiaster ).
In the 33 species of reptiles are the Agamenart Laudakia caucasia , the Sheltopusik ( Pseudopus apodus ) which Vipera Raddei ( Vipera raddei ) which Maurische tortoise ( Testudo graeca ), the skinks Trachylepis septemtaeniata and Eumeces schneideri , the European Cat Snake ( Telescopus fallax ), the Ravergier's angry snake ( Coluber ravingieri ), the Armenian meadow otter ( Vipera eriwanensis ) and the Levant otter ( Vipera lebetina ) are worth mentioning. In addition, 5 amphibians and 9 fish species live in the area.
Insect species were counted in 1427, molluscs made up 62 and scorpions 3 species.
tourism
In the buffer zone of the reserve there is a visitor center with a campsite (Garni district) and a tourist center, also with a campsite (Chosrow district). In the village of Shatin , which is close to the reserve, wild goats can be seen that have got used to being around people.
Web links
- official website
- Report on the Armenian Wild Sheep on discover-armenia
Individual evidence
- ↑ Igor G. Khorozyan, Pavel I. Weinberg and Alexander G. Malkhasyan: Conservation Strategy for Armenian mouflon (Ovis orientalis gmelini Blyth) and bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus Erxleben) in Armenia. in Status and Protection of Globally threatened Species in the Caucasus. CEPF Biodiversity Investments in the Caucasus Hotspot 2004-2009. Edited by Nugzar Zazanashvili and David Mallon (2009). online PDF