Askania-Nova

Askania-Nova - worldwide famous nature reserve, the only corner of the fescue-feather grass steppe in Europe that has never been touched by a plow. A zoo has been created here, where animals and birds from almost all countries of the world are collected. Wild animals are kept in freedom or semi-captivity. Most of the territory is occupied by a picturesque botanical park with numerous artificial lakes and ponds, in which trees and shrubs grow in all climatic zones of the earth. A unique island of nature on the land of ancient Tavria!

The history of Askania-Nova begins in the last quarter of the 19th century, when the first enclosures began to be built here in 1874. And by 1889, the contours of the future zoo had already been clearly defined. In 1919, the People's Reserve was organized, reorganized in 1921 into the State Steppe Reserve of Ukraine. In 1956, Askania-Nova received the status of the Ukrainian Research Institute of Livestock Husbandry of the Steppe Regions named after. M.F. Ivanova.

If you love birds and animals, the smell of fields and flowers, visit the reserve; unforgettable moments of contact with nature await you there.

"Swan Islands"

Ornithological reserve "Swan Islands" of international importance, a branch of the Crimean State Reserve. Located off the northwestern coast of the peninsula. Many representatives of birds live and hatch their offspring in the reserve - black-headed laughing gulls - huge beautiful birds with a wingspan of almost two meters, laughing gulls (their calls really resemble laughter), herring gulls, black terns, gray herons, many species of ducks, others feathered. And during the molting period, royal birds - graceful mute swans - fly here to renew their snow-white plumage.

"Swan Islands" is the most "main" ornithological reserve, which has well-deserved international recognition. Six islands of the tract are located near the northwestern coast of the Crimean plain. They stretched for about 8 km along the shore of the Karkinitsky Bay. The largest island is about 3.5 km long and up to 350 m wide. The islands are approximately 3.5 km away from the coast. Shallow waters, an abundance of plant and animal food in water and on land, combined with a protected regime, attract a lot of waterfowl to the Lebyazhye Islands. A large population of mute swan nests here. Late autumn Northern whooper swans gather on the islands for the winter. Various species of ducks, waders, white and gray herons, gulls, cormorants, more than 25 species in total, nest on the islands. Hunting requires passion, and scientific observation of birds requires serious professional skills, but any of us can get up before dawn, walk through the park or climb into the nearby forest to hear the diverse chorus of songbirds at dawn, because the bird population is only in forests and parks There are more than 20 types of settlements in Crimea.

Crimean Reserve

The Crimean Nature Reserve was organized in 1928. It occupies 33,397 hectares in the central part of the Main Crimean Ridge. The protected area is home to more than 1,200 species of plants (almost half of the total flora of Crimea), and over 200 species of vertebrate animals (half of those found in Crimea). Of particular value are oak, beech and hornbeam forests, which play an important water and soil protection role. The forests are home to Crimean red deer, Crimean roe deer, mouflon, black vulture, griffon vulture and other rare animals. The reserve has great scientific, cultural and educational significance. On the periphery of the protected area, several recreational areas and ecological trails have been created where tourists organized groups, without harming nature, get acquainted with its riches. Chatyrdag is equipped for mass visits beautiful cave"Marble". Off the northwestern coast of Crimea there is a branch of the reserve - Lebyazhye Islands. Here is one of the largest concentrations of waterfowl in Eastern Europe: more than 230 species, of which 18 species are listed in the Red Book. Every year, up to 5 thousand swans flock from the south to molt, and the colony of laughing coeds numbers more than 30 thousand individuals. During the summer season, seagulls destroy almost 2 million gophers and up to 8 million mice - pests of fields. In Alushta under management Crimean Nature Reserve a Museum of Nature and Dendrozoo has been created, where you can get acquainted with natural resources mountain forests.

Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve

The Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve was created in 1973. It covers mainly the western South Coast (14,590 hectares). Forests occupy 3/4 of its territory. On the mountain slopes there are tall-trunked, mainly pine (57% of the reserve's forests) and broad-leaved (beech and oak) forests, in some places with evergreen sub-Mediterranean undergrowth. There is a road laid through the territory of the Reserve ecological trail"Solnechnaya" (formerly "Tsarskaya") with a length of 7 km.

On the South-Eastern coast of Crimea there is the youngest reserve on the peninsula, the Karadag Nature Reserve (founded in 1979). It occupies the territory of an ancient volcanic mountain-forest landscape between the Methanom and Knikatlama peninsulas (2855 hectares). In this unique museum, created by nature itself, you can read the chronicle of the Earth for almost one and a half hundred million years. More than 100 minerals and their varieties were found on Karadag. Meet here semiprecious stones: carnelian, opal, heliotrope, agate, rock crystal, amethyst. You can observe the attributes of a fossil volcano: lava flows and brecos, dikes, mineral veins, volcanic bombs and even a channel that once served as a conduit for lava to the surface. The flora of Karadag has about 1050 plant species. Only here live Poyarkova's hawthorn, Steven's lily, Koktebel tulip and other rare species. 29 plant species are listed in the Red Books. The wildlife of the reserve is also unique: 35 species of mammals, 277 species of birds, 15 species of reptiles, 18 species of animals listed in the Red Book are noted here. For organized tourists and excursionists, an educational ecological trail has been laid along Karadag.

33 state reserves have been established on the peninsula. Among them are 16 nature reserves of national importance. Landscape (complex) reserves are: Cape Aya in the west of the southern coast of Crimea with picturesque limestone cliffs covered with relict forest of Stankevich pine, tall juniper and small-fruited strawberry; Baydarsky reserve on the northern slope of the Main Ridge with canyons and relict juniper forests; Ayudag on the South Coast is a volcanic mountain range with relict sub-Mediterranean forest; The Grand Canyon of Crimea in the west of the Main Ridge is the deepest tectonic-erosive gorge in Crimea (up to 320 m) with mixed forests; Weeping Rock is a picturesque foothill tract in the valley of Western Bulganak.

Geological reserves are located in the mountainous Crimea: Black River in the west of the Main Ridge - a gorge-canyon; Kachinsky Canyon on the site of the valley of the Kachi River breakthrough through the Inner Ridge; Mountain karst of Crimea, occupying part of the karst plateau of Karabi-Yayly. The Khapkhalsky hydrological reserve is located on the southern slope of the Main Ridge in the gorge with the Jur-Jur waterfall.

Botanical reserves include: Kubalach - a mountain in the east of the Crimean foothills with thickets of the endemic cyclamen Kuznetsov; Karabi-yayla - a section of a mountain plateau, a place of growth medicinal plants; Kanaka - a valley in the eastern part of the South Coast with a relict grove of tall juniper; New World is a mountainous coastal massif on the southeastern coast, occupied by open forests of Pitsunda pine and tall juniper; The Arabatsky reserve is a section of steppe at the base of the Ar6at spit with virgin coastal-steppe vegetation. In Crimea there are two ornithological reserves where communities are protected rare birds: Karkinitsky off the northwestern coast of the peninsula with an abundance of waterfowl; Astana plavni is a shallow lacustrine area in the north of the Kerch Peninsula, the habitat of sardines, gray cranes and other birds. There are 87 state natural monuments in Crimea (occupying 2.4% of the total protected area). 13 of them have the status of national monuments, 6 monuments are complex (landscape): Cat Mountain - a limestone outlier in the west of the South Coast with sub-Mediterranean open forest; Karaul-Oba is a mountainous limestone cape in the east of the South Coast with juniper open forest; Agarmysh forest is a Yaylin massif near the city of Stary Krym, on the slopes of which a beech forest is protected; Ak-Kaya - rocky peak of the Inner ridge of the foothills with bushes; Belbek Canyon - the valley of the Belbek River breakthrough through the Inner Ridge of the foothills; Mangup-Kale is a remnant mountain in the west of the Crimean foothills, occupied by mixed forest.

Geological natural monuments include 4 objects: Demerdzhi - the Main Range mountain range near Alushta, on the slopes of which original weathering figures of conglomerates rise (Valley of Ghosts); Kizil-Koba is a tract on the western slope of Dolgorukovskaya Yayla, which contains the largest cave system in Crimea (13.7 km); Soldatskaya karst mine on Karabi-yayla, the deepest in Crimea (more than 500 m), Jau-Tepe is a large mud hill on the Kerch Peninsula.

A hydrological natural monument is Karasu-Bashi, a mountain-forest tract at the source of the Biyuk-Karasu River on the northern slope of Karabi-yayla.

Botanical monuments include Kara-Tau - a mountain range of the upper Karabi-Yayly plateau, occupied by an old beech forest, and the Karabi-Yaylinskaya pit - on the Main Crimean ridge, where rare cushion thickets of the endemic Biberstein's moth ("Crimean edelweiss") are concentrated.

A unique group of natural-anthropogenic protected areas is represented by parks-monuments of landscape gardening art. There are 21 of them on the peninsula (occupying 0.7% of the area of ​​the reserve fund). Among them, 11 are national park-monuments. Outstanding scientific significance and beauty include the State Nikitsky Botanical Garden, located east of the Yalta Mountain Amphitheater (founded in 1812); Foros Park located on the southern coast of Crimea (1st half of the 19th century); Alupka Park (I half of the 19th century); Miskhorsky Park (late 18th century); Kharaksky Park (second half of the 19th century); Livadia Park. (I half of the 19th century); Massandra Park (I half of the 19th century); Gurzuf Park ( early XIX V.); Cypress Park on the territory of Artek (early 20th century); Karasansky Park east of Ayu-Dag (1st half of the 19th century); park of the sanatorium "Utes" (mid-19th century).

Reserves of Crimea

For the first time, in 1870, part of the mountain-forest landscapes in Crimea acquired the status of an imperial (royal) hunting reserve.

Over the years of its development, the nature reserve fund of Crimea has become the most important indicator reference scientific and natural resource potential of the peninsula. This is a natural environment-preserving and environment-reproducing source of the plain-steppe, mountain-forest and southern coastal-sub-Mediterranean nature of the peninsula. As of 1.01. 1998 in Crimea there are 145 territories and objects of the natural reserve fund, with total area 140.4 thousand hectares, including 43 territories of national importance, with an area of ​​124.7 thousand hectares (which is 87% of the area of ​​the entire reserve fund) and 102 objects of local importance, with an area of ​​15.7 thousand hectares (13% of the area of ​​the reserve fund). At the same time, specially protected territories and objects, reflecting the degree of uniqueness of nature in different regions of the peninsula, are unevenly distributed across the landscape areas of Crimea. The Main Crimean Ridge and the Crimean Sub-Mediterranean region are characterized by the greatest reserve density. The landscape areas of the Plain Crimea, the Kerch hills and the Crimean foothills are characterized by significantly less reserve density. In general, the reserve fund in Crimea accounts for 5.4% of the peninsula’s territory. This is 2.5 times higher than the same average for Ukraine as a whole, but 2 times lower than the UN recommended optimal level of reserve saturation for regions of the world.

Crimean nature reserve- the oldest on the peninsula, it was created in 1923. Long time(1957-1991 it was in the strange status of a “reserve hunting reserve”, when instead of protecting valuable animals, they were hunted for “reserve” purposes. Now the reserve, together with its branch, occupies 44.1 thousand hectares. The reserve protects north-slope forests, upland meadow-steppe (Yailta) and partially southern slope forest landscapes. 1165 species of higher plants grow in the protected area (84 species on the Lebyazhye Islands). The floristic wealth includes 45 endemic species, 115 rare and preserved species. The reserve is home to 39 species of mammals), 120 species of birds (on the Lebyazhye Islands - 20 and 230, respectively). Of particular value are beech, oak, hornbeam and pine forests, which play an important water and soil protection role. Red deer, mouflon roe deer, black vulture, griffon vulture and other rare animals live here. Up to 5,000 mute swans flock to the Swan Islands annually to molt, and the colony of gulls numbers more than 30,000 individuals.

The Yalta Natural Mountain Forest Reserve was created in 1973. It covers mainly the western South Coast (14,589 hectares). Forests occupy 3/4 of its territory. Tall forests, mainly pine forests (they make up 56% of all forests in the reserve), also beech and oak forests, in some places with evergreen sub-Mediterranean undergrowth, are widespread here. The reserve's flora includes 1,363 species of vascular plants, including 115 endemics; 43 plant species are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. The reserve is home to 37 species of mammals, 113 species of birds, 11 species of reptiles and 4 species of amphibians.

Nature reserve Cape Martyan, located east of Nikitsky botanical garden on the limestone cape of the same name, it occupies, together with the coastal aquatic complex, only 240 hectares. The reserve was created in 1973 and is intended to preserve a corner of nature of the sub-Mediterranean type in Crimea. A relict pine-juniper-strawberry forest with more than 600 plant species, including 23 endemic species, is preserved here. The Red Book of Ukraine includes tall juniper, small-fruited greenberry, etc. The adjacent water area is home to 71 species of algae, 50 species of fish, 40 species of mollusks - a total of 200 species of marine animals.

Finally, in the east of the Crimean Sub-Mediterranean Sea there is the youngest nature reserve on the peninsula, the Karadag Nature Reserve, founded in 1979. It occupies an area of ​​1855.1 hectares of ancient volcanic mountain-forest landscape. The reserve was created to protect the rarest landscape and botanical-zoological objects. More than 100 mineral species and varieties have been found on Karadag: semi-precious stones are found here - carnelian, opal, heliotrope, agate, rock crystal, amestist, etc. You can observe the attributes of the fossils of the volcano: lava flows and breccias, dikes, mineral veins. The rich flora of Karadag includes 1090 species of vascular plants, including about 50 endemics. Many species are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine: tall juniper, blunt-leaved pistachio, Poyarkova hawthorn, etc. The fauna of Karadag includes 28 species of mammals, 184 species of birds, reptile species, 3 amphibians, 1900 invertebrates. The flora of the coastal waters includes 454 species of plants and 900 species of animals (including 80 species of fish).

In addition to nature reserves, numerous other, mostly small in area, specially protected natural unique sites are scattered sporadically throughout Crimea. 32 state reserves have been established on the peninsula, accounting for 51% of the protected territory of Crimea. Among them - 1 reserves are of national importance. There are 73 protected natural monuments in Crimea, with a total area of ​​2.4% of the entire reserve fund; Among them, 12 have national status. There are 25 protected botanical gardens and parks-monuments of horticultural art in Crimea (their area is 1% of the reserve fund); 11 of them have national status. Finally, there are 11 protected areas in Crimea. They occupy 1.6% protected area peninsula.

The peninsula has always been a popular destination for health and wellness due to its natural factors. The nature of Crimea is unique and needs vigilant protection and preservation. Numerous reserves have been created to preserve rare species of birds, animals and insects.

Yalta Mountain Forest Nature Reserve

From Gurzuf to Foros, a 40-kilometer strip stretches the territory of the Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve. It is valuable because 66% of the vascular plants that are found in the entire Mountain Crimea grow here: pistachio obtufolia, Siberian Sobolevskaya, tall juniper, Crimean cistus. The protected area is also rich in endemic species.
The fauna is represented by rare species of animals. The imperial eagle, badgers, mouflons, Crimean lizards and geckos, and European roe deer feel at ease in the protected area. Rare insects, living in the reserve, are listed in the Red Book and are of interest to scientists.
An important part of the environmental complex is the Three-Eye Cave, the battlements of Mount Ai-Petri, and the Devil's Staircase pass.

The nature of the Crimean peninsula is unique. Trees, herbs and flowers grow here that are not found anywhere else in the world. To preserve the floristic fund in Crimea, 6 nature reserves were created, on the territory of which only scientific work is allowed and tourist routes are laid out. Any economic activity prohibited in protected areas.

The Opuksky Nature Reserve is the youngest of all similar territories in Crimea. It is closed to visitors, and scientists can carry out the necessary research only after receiving special permission. Here, not only a piece of land is protected, but also the surrounding water area.
Only one trail is designated for tourists to reduce the risk of trampling valuable grasses and disturbing the rest of nesting birds.

Crimean Nature Reserve

The largest protected area in Crimea is almost a hundred years old. It was created in 1923 on the site of the “Royal Hunting Reserve”. The area of ​​the reserve occupies more than 33 hectares in the center of the Main Range of the Crimean Mountains. It is here that, due to the abundance of precipitation and lush vegetation, many small and large rivers peninsulas - Derekoyka, Marta, Ulu-Uzen, Alma. The famous underground spring Savlukh-Su, whose waters have a healing effect due to the presence of natural silver ions in them, also descends from the local peaks.
Of particular value are the pine, beech and hornbeam forests that densely cover most of the reserve. It is thanks to them that a favorable environmental situation is maintained.
The protected area is home to more than a thousand species of animals, many of which are rare and require protection and careful treatment.

"Swan Islands"

The “Swan Islands” zone, restricted from economic activity, is part of the Crimean Nature Reserve, which is of interest to ornithologists around the world. Its area is 9 and a half hectares. More than 250 species of birds choose this nesting site. Flamingos, several species of ducks, herons, and waders live here. The reserve protects several species of fish and large marine mammals.
Swan Islands are the main migration point for many birds.

Nature Reserve "Cape Martyan"

On Cape Martyan in the eastern part of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden there is a reserve of the same name - the smallest in Crimea. His main task is to preserve the area where Mediterranean plants live. A relict forest grows here, in which there are more than 500 species of representatives of the Mediterranean flora. The uniqueness of the protected area is that it is here that a sufficient amount of small-fruited strawberry has been preserved, which has long been listed in the International Red Book.

Karadag Nature Reserve

The Kara-Dag Nature Reserve extends in the eastern part of the peninsula near Feodosia. Valuable minerals were found on its area - more than a hundred varieties of minerals were extracted by scientists from the soils of the area.
The flora and fauna of the Karadag Reserve is diverse. More than 1,000 flora representatives grow here, 29 of which are listed as rare species in the Red Book and are in danger of complete extinction. The list also includes 18 species of animals. The reserve's rivers serve as spawning grounds for several species of fish.

If you look at the map of the Crimean Peninsula, you will immediately notice a large area of ​​protected and protected areas. Indeed, the nature of Crimea is too valuable an asset to allow human intervention. Thus, the mountainous Crimea almost completely entered into protected area, almost the entire Main Ridge is protected. Unique landscapes, forests, groves, and water areas are protected by law in order to preserve their original appearance and save fragile biocenoses that cannot tolerate the economic activities of modern society.

At present, unfortunately, even the status of a nature reserve or wildlife sanctuary in Crimea does not always save us from the menacingly approaching front of reckless buildings.

object diagram reserved Crimea:

Reserves of Crimea

There are only six nature reserves in Crimea, but their total area is impressive - 63,783 hectares. The largest of them - Crimean Natural - covers 44,175 hectares of protected area. It stretches from south to north from Massandra and Nikita to the northeastern border of Chatyr-Dag and from west to east from Zagorskoye to Izobilnenskoye reservoir. Its main treasures are the highest plateaus in the mountains of Crimea - Babugan-yayla, Gurzufskaya and Nikitskaya yayla, as well as the entire enormous mountain-forest area to the north of them.

Plateau of the reserved Crimea:
Winter Babugan-yayla - Crimean Nature Reserve

The Crimean Nature Reserve includes as a branch the ornithological reserve "Swan Islands", which occupies mainly the protected part of the Karkinitsky Bay water area and the Lebyazhy Islands itself, of which there are six, and which have become a real haven for many nesting and migratory birds.

The next largest reserve is the Yalta Nature Reserve. It is most familiar to tourists, as it is located in close proximity to the coastal strip of the Southern Coast of Crimea. But its conservation status is in big question, since all the main routes along which tourists get to the mountains run through its forests.

Reserves of Crimea: Yalta Natural
	One of the decorations of the Yalta natural reserve - Mount Ai-Petri

An exception can be considered the eastern enclave of the Yalta nature reserve, which is protected quite strictly. But the mountains attract their admirers, especially since the passes are open most of the year. And only during the summer drought, when forest fires break out here and there, do patrols appear on the passes, turning tourists back. Usually the Shaitan-Merdven pass, the Koreiz trail leading to Ai-Petri, and the Gurzuf Saddle pass are closed. However, there are plenty of alternative options to get to the mountains, which is what lovers of active recreation take advantage of.

Passes of the protected Crimea:
Shaitan-Merdven - pass from the South Coast to the Main Range of the Crimean Mountains	Gurzuf saddle - pass between the Gurzuf plateau and Babugan-yayla

The remaining reserves of Crimea are much smaller. The third place in this honorable list is occupied by the Karadag Nature Reserve, which occupies an area of ​​2,855 hectares. It boasts a decent level of protection of its wealth, thanks to which it is slowly recovering from the industrial development of its subsoil in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The unique biota of this place can only be seen as part of an excursion group.

Reserves of Crimea: Karadag natural:

Mountain reserves are part of the protected Crimea:
Mount Ayu-Dag - landscape reserve	Mount Castel - botanical reserve above Alushta

Between Belogorsk and Old Crimea there is the Kubalach tract, which was turned in 1978 into a nature reserve with a total area of ​​526 hectares. The Kubalach ridge and the mountain of the same name (738 meters) are covered by a dense forest of beech, oak, hornbeam and ash.

To the east of this reserve, on the outskirts of Old Crimea, there is the Agarmysh Forest natural monument. A forest, mainly of beech, hornbeam and oak, traditional for the Crimea, covers the slopes of Sycheva Balka between two mountains - Big Agarmysh and Small Agarmysh. In the vastness of the Agarmysh mountain range you can find many caves.

One of the most beautiful reserves of Crimea, “New World”, is surrounded by the village of the same name, located on the shores of picturesque bays and protected the most beautiful mountains. The protective status of these beautiful places cannot contain the influx of vacationers, fortunately all the beauties and attractions are accessible and close. And there is something to protect, first of all, a relict juniper grove - the property of the New World reserve.

A real monument to the forces of nature is the Grand Canyon of Crimea, for the preservation of which a landscape reserve was created in 1974 on an area of ​​300 hectares. Not only the famous canyon, but also surrounding forests, where the springs that feed the waters of the canyon originate. The gorge of incomparable beauty is subject to a real invasion of tourists, and only the inaccessibility of some areas saves it from total littering.

The Khapkhalsky hydrological reserve includes 250 hectares of continuous deciduous forest, covering the slopes of the Khapkhal gorge, through which the Eastern Ulu-Uzen River flows. The main magnet that attracts tourists to the territory of this reserve is the picturesque Dzhur-Dzhur waterfall, the deepest waterfall in Crimea. The rest of the territory is rarely visited by vacationers, thanks to which the forest has retained its pristine beauty. This is the greenest of the Crimean reserves.

The Paragilmen botanical reserve is also completely covered with forest. It stretches from the west, where it abuts the slopes of Babugan-yayla, to the east, where the mountain of the same name stands, designated as a separate natural monument. On this mountain you can find endemic and rare plants Crimea, but visiting it is free.

The small Kanaka reserve (160 hectares) occupies the coast between the Luch resort and the village of Rybachye. In the east of the reserve, in the Kanaka ravine, relict groves of tree-like juniper and blunt pistachio grow, for which this beautiful coastal zone was given this status. You can visit the Kanaka reserve without hindrance; tourists and vacationers are attracted by kilometers of beaches and relative desertedness.

Less than ten kilometers southeast of Cape Kazantip, on the outskirts of the village of Ostanino, there is an ornithological reserve “Ostaninskie (Astana, Oysulskie) plavni. The reed-covered floodplains of the banks of the Samarli River attract nesting and rest after a long flight. a large number of birds. In a small reserve (50 hectares) pine trees grow, which is unusual for the steppe landscape of the Kerch Peninsula.

Five kilometers northeast of the Ostaninskie plavni, the Kazantip Bay is bordered by Cape Chagany. Between this cape and the salty Chokrak lake lies the Karalar steppe, designated as a landscape reserve for the protection of unique steppe landscapes and steppe biocenosis. Both flora and fauna are very rich here; hunting is prohibited, although visiting is not limited.

On eastern border In the Karalar reserve there is an amazing lake Chokrak with healing mud and waters that are fed from underground hydrogen sulfide springs. To protect the lake from technogenic influence, Chokrak and its coast were enclosed within the boundaries of a hydrological reserve.

Two hundred meters from the left bank of the Western Bulganak River, in the place where its flow passes through the village of Vodnoye, a small (21 hectare) landscape reserve “Weeping Rock” was organized in 1989. This is the name given to the outcropping of karst rocks, through the cracks and cracks of which water penetrates, forming a small lake. Weeping Rock is surrounded by a small forest.

Those who visited Cape Tarkhankut were sure to try to get to Dzhangul, or as it is officially called the “Dzhangul Landslide Coast” landscape reserve. Here you can see firsthand how a landslide can destroy the coast. Stone chaos - a pile of stones of different sizes - makes a proper impression on those who came to Tarkhankut for the first time.

Dzhangul is an integral part national park Tarkhankutsky, which is also called “Beautiful Harbor”. In this park, the Bolshoy Kastel ravine and the Atlesh tract with coastal waters are also protected by law. The rocky, layer-cake-like cliffs and grottoes of Atlesh make the right impression. This is very a nice place was chosen by tourists for wild recreation and diving. The most popular vacation spot is the shores of Karadzhinskaya Bay between capes Tarkhankut and Priboyny, Bolshoi and Maly Atlesh on the southern coast of the Tarkhankut Peninsula.

The upper plateau of Chatyr-Daga is allocated as a separate protected area “Yayla Chatyr-Daga”. Despite the fact that this plateau still needs to be conquered, it is especially loved by tourists. No one limits visits, so Chatyr-Dag is one of the most visited plateaus of Crimea. The lower plateau is more reminiscent of Karabi-yayla with its numerous caves and is protected more strictly, as it is part of the Crimean Nature Reserve. under protective status Only the Valley of Ghosts with its forest and unique stone weathering forms falls. However, it is the Valley of Ghosts that is visited most of all, including by excursion groups.

The beautiful Belbek Gorge, for the preservation of unique geological forms, conducive to scientific research, received the status of a natural monument of national importance. The relict yew grove located just to the south is designated as a separate natural monument. The Belbek Canyon is adjacent to such historical monuments like the Suren fortress and the Chelter-Koba cave monastery. The Kachin Canyon Nature Reserve is designed to preserve the outstanding geological features of the gorge and the flora of its slopes. On the territory of the reserve there is a cave monastery Kachi-Kalyon. Visiting the canyon is not limited; its proximity to Bakhchisarai makes it a popular destination on tourist maps.

The longest canyon of Crimea - Chernorechensky - like its aforementioned brothers, has turned from a natural monument into state reserve, as well as the forest peaks covering it. The pristine beauty of its shores predetermined its inclusion in the ranks of the most valuable wildlife sanctuaries in Crimea. This canyon on the Chernaya River is visited freely by tourists, except for the section of the river where it leaves the Chernorechensky reservoir, which, being a water reservoir for Sevastopol, is inaccessible to the public and is even surrounded by barbed wire.

The largest cave in Crimea is Kizil-Koba on the western slopes of Dolgorukovskaya Yayla. Both as a miracle of nature and as an object of archaeological research, the Red Cave needs state protection, so since 1963 it has been declared a natural monument. Nowadays you can visit its depths on a fascinating excursion. The surrounding forests and the beautiful Su-Uchkhan waterfall received protected site status.

Mangup-Kale, although it has an undeniable historical cultural value, is protected by law in a comprehensive manner - both as an archaeological property and as an important natural object. Numerous caves and grottoes, karst formations represent a valuable landscape natural monument that requires careful attitude of its many visitors.

Mangup is a complex natural monument hiding a cave city - this is also a reserved Crimea

One of the youngest reserves in Crimea is Sasyksky. Lake Sasyk is the largest lake in Crimea, the mud of which is considered medicinal. In order to protect the lake, which also allows many rare steppe plants to grow on its shores, it was declared a landscape reserve in 2012.

On the Bakalskaya Spit, which is washed by the waters of the Karkinitsky Bay, there is a regional landscape park “Bakalskaya Spit”. A place of rest and a popular tourist site, the spit is a reminder to a person as an economic activity, in this case sand mining, aggravated sea ​​elements can destroy natural landscapes. The spit is eroding, cutting off the islands from the land. The reserve also includes the salty Bakalskoye Lake.

One of the attractions of Sudak is Cape Alchak-Kaya, a protected area since 1988. There is an ecological fenced path along the rocks, but with proper dexterity you can avoid using it when walking along the coastal rocks. This is a small but very beautiful corner of the reserved Crimea.

In addition to the listed objects, which are to one degree or another protected by the state from the influence of the average person, there are still quite a lot of places in Crimea with the status of natural monuments, the list of which includes groves rare trees, areas of steppe or ravines, grottoes, islets, capes, caves.

Most often, their status serves only as an edification for tourists; many do not even imagine that the site they are visiting is protected. Easily accessible caves and forests are especially affected. The cutting down of trees and careless handling of fire have already led to the destruction of thousands of hectares of the protected Crimea. Therefore, nature protection is not only the responsibility of rangers and foresters, but also of the vacationers themselves.

How we will see the reserves and wildlife sanctuaries of Crimea in the future largely depends on us.

olegman37

Area: 1592.3 hectares (including 62 hectares of the Black Sea with the Elken-Kaya islands). The purpose of the reserve: to preserve the typical steppe landscapes of the Crimean Peninsula and the adjacent Black Sea with unique flora and fauna. The reserve includes Mount Opuk with the cape of the same name, the salty Koyash Lake, as well as the adjacent coastal aquatic complex of the Black Sea with the islands of the Ship Rocks (Elken-Kaya), located 4 km from the shore. Mountain […]

Area: 50 hectares. The purpose of the reserve is to preserve wetlands - habitats for many species of birds, including rare and endangered ones. A visit to this small reserve will be especially interesting for lovers of observing the life of birds, as there are a great many of them here. The Astana (Oysul) floodplains are a kind of green oasis among the arid steppe landscapes of the Kerch Peninsula. The floodplains are located in the swampy valleys of the lower reaches of the river. Samarli (the largest in [...]

Area: 6806 hectares (including 360 hectares of the Azov Sea). The purpose of the reserve: to preserve the biological and landscape diversity of one of the largest steppe tracts in Europe, to provide conditions for organized recreation for the population. Many lovers of outdoor recreation consider Karalar one of the most picturesque places on the Kerch Peninsula: on the one hand, there are endless steppe expanses, on the other, numerous cozy rocky bays […]

Area: 450.1 hectares. The purpose of the reserve: preservation of typical and unique steppe natural complexes Azov coast of Crimea and adjacent waters. The reserve is located in the north-west of the Kerch Peninsula and occupies Cape Kazantip, which extends far into the Sea of ​​Azov and is washed by its bays - Arabat and Kazantip. Here the expanses of the steppe break off into the sea with cliffs, and the air is filled with the smells of the sea and the steppe. The cape has a rounded shape and [...]

The Kerch Peninsula is called " Far East» Crimea. This is a separate region with a unique landscape and climate, where the elements of endless steppes, sea, sun and winds combine: any point of it is distant from the shores of the Black or Azov seas no further than 20 km, and the treeless steppe expanses allow the winds to run wild. Historically, the peninsula was sparsely populated; until recently, numerous military training grounds were also located here, which was the reason […]

Area: 840 hectares. The purpose of the reserve: to preserve a unique place that has no analogues in Europe in terms of aerodynamic properties. The natural complex of the park with areas of preserved natural landscapes includes the Uzun-Syrt ridge, Mount Koklyuk and the Barakol depression. Translated from Turkic, Uzun-Syrt means a long ridge, a back, and it looks like the long, wide back of a giant with a perfectly flat flat top, stretching 7.5 km in length. […]

Area: 1508 hectares (including 218 hectares of marine waters). The purpose of the reserve: preservation of the original natural complex, which has great bioecological, landscape, historical, archaeological and cultural value. The bay itself and its surroundings are the standard of the landscapes of Cimmeria, glorified by M. Voloshin. It is the landscapes of Quiet Bay, where the soft forms of low mountains dominate pastel shades, inspired him to create the famous “Koktebel watercolors”. The unique position of the bay, from all […]

Area: 2874.2 hectares (land territory 2065.1 hectares; water area - 809.1 hectares). The purpose of the reserve: conservation of biological and landscape diversity, monitoring of land and marine ecosystems; fundamental and applied research in the field of ecology and nature conservation; environmental education and upbringing, participation in the professional training of environmental specialists. The Karadag Nature Reserve was created in 1979 on the basis of the Karadag Biological scientific station- the oldest scientific institution on the peninsula. […]

Area: 1560 hectares (including water area - 310 hectares). The purpose of the reserve: protection of an area with high biological and landscape diversity, which also has high recreational and scientific significance. This corner of the south-eastern coast with ascetic nature attracts with its extensive pebble beach, diving in clear water, the opportunity to climb the mountains and enjoy the fantastic scenery of neighboring Karadag. There is no residential development on the coast of Fox Bay, but […]

South-eastern Crimea is a wonderful world on the border of mountains, sea and steppes, a mysterious and romantic Cimmeria, glorified by Maximilian Voloshin. The natural and cultural attractions of this region are unique and no less interesting than those that are the object of summer pilgrimage to the South Coast. There is a special arid hot climate here (Cape Meganom is the driest place in Crimea), and under its influence a specific natural complex has been formed, the basis of which […]

Area: 470 hectares. The purpose of the reserve: to preserve a special variant of relict forest on the coastal limestone slopes of the mountains. The Novosvetskoye coast is one of the most attractive: here, in a small area, you can observe a combination of amazingly beautiful bays, picturesque rocky capes and mountain peaks, and a unique protected nature. The territory of the reserve is framed like an amphitheater by the village of Novy Svet, climbing from the sea into the mountains covered with relict woodlands of Stankevich pine and juniper […]

Area: 160 hectares. The purpose of the reserve: protection of a unique tract with open forests of tall juniper and blunt-leaved pistachio. The territory of the reserve includes the lower part of the southeastern slope of Mount Yan-Turu (343 m above sea level) and the right bank slope of the Kanaka River valley, known as the Kanakskaya Balka, or Kanaka. This is one of the few relatively untouched protected areas of southern Crimea. Here, on the slopes along the sea, the ancient Mediterranean flora has been preserved: relict juniper-oak […]

Area: 527 hectares. The purpose of the reserve is to preserve the mountain forests of the Crimean sub-Mediterranean region. Ayu-Dag, or Bear Mountain, shaped like an animal bending towards the Black Sea, is one of the symbols of Crimea, which can be observed from almost all sides of the Southern Coast. This place has been known since ancient times: the ancient geographer Strabo mentions Ayu-Dag under the name Kriumetopon - Ram's forehead. Dome Mountain (571 m) is a failed volcano, which […]

Area: 120 hectares of land, 120 hectares of sea waters. The purpose of the reserve is to preserve relict subtropical and coastal marine ecosystems. The uniqueness of this reserve lies in the fact that only here, in a small area, the natural landscapes of the Mediterranean subtropics, typical of the Crimean coast, have been preserved. It is here that you can see what the southern coast of Crimea looked like a couple of centuries ago, long before the appearance of parks, palaces, and resorts with their exotic decorative flora. The relief of the reserve […]

Area: 1340 hectares (including 280 hectares of marine waters). The purpose of the reserve: to protect the unique landscape of the South Coast with a sub-Mediterranean complex of plants and animals. From Cape Aya on the western side, the southern coast of Crimea begins with its special climate, close to the Mediterranean. Here the Main mountain range with the rocky mass of Kokia-Kala (557 m above sea level) directly approaches the sea and […]

Area: 31.77 hectares. The purpose of the reserve is to preserve the unique natural complex of the ancient volcanic massif with original relief forms. Fiolent is one of the most beautiful capes of Crimea, located on the southern side of the Heraclean Peninsula. It amazes with its harsh steep cliffs up to 150 m high, plunging into the sea. This is the wild beauty of an ancient volcanic massif with preserved lava flows and tuff layers in the coastal cliffs. The shore in the area [...]

After the Angarsk Pass, a picturesque panorama of the southern coast of Crimea opens - a unique natural landscape. The main ridge of the Crimean mountains, which fenced off these lands from northern winds, and the warm Black Sea was created natural conditions, in many ways close to the Mediterranean: with mild, short winters and hot, sunny summers. The southern coast is a narrow strip (up to 9 km), enclosed between the mountains and the Black Sea, stretching from Cape […]

Area: 4,316 hectares. The purpose of the reserve: preservation of the classic karst topography. The reserve occupies the upper plateau of Karabi-yayla - the largest of the Crimean yaylas. The massif rises almost a thousand meters above sea level, the highest point is Mount Tai-Koba (1262 m above sea level). Karabi amazes with its unearthly landscape: an endless grassy hilly plateau dotted with craters (more than 4 thousand), dotted with rock ridges, buffes and stones of various shapes […]

Area: 14,523 hectares. The purpose of the reserve: preservation and study of typical and unique natural complexes of the southern part of the Crimean Mountains in order to improve the soil protection, water protection, balneological and aesthetic properties of mountain forests, and strengthen their protection, in particular from fires. The reserve for the richness and beauty of nature is one of the most unique and interesting objects not only in Crimea, but also in Eastern Europe. Along its territory there are trails known since ancient [...]