This is a place of volcanic origin in the Far East of Russia. 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 a ridge big rivers. There are really many mountain ranges, fast rivers with clear water.

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

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

In the summer, 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 the fountains of giants - one hundred and fifty-ton smooth whales. In a word, a natural monument.

Traces of the ancients in Sikhote-Alin

In the floodplains of the Sikhote-Alin rivers, archaeologists discovered human sites of 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 plates, piercings, scrapers, double-sided processed arrowheads, triangular knives with a beveled blade, slate knives and tips.

During excavations on one of the Sikhote-Alin plateau, archaeologists discovered the skeleton of a huge stone structure. The layout of the structure 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 mountains of Sikhote-Alin, the remains of buildings of this ancient culture have already been found: a signal tower, a castle and several fortifications, which are credited with 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 be a mass of 70 tons. He flew to the ground in the form of a pile of debris, exploding in the atmosphere ( turned out so well). Meteoritic rain covered an area of ​​35 sq. km. According to eyewitnesses, the flash was brighter than the sun, a roar was heard within a radius of 350 km, the earth and buildings shook from powerful blows, clouds of dust rose into the air. The largest crater was 6 m deep and 25.5 m in diameter.

An expedition of the Institute of Astronomy and Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR was organized to study the crater field, on which the fireball left more than 100 craters. 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 Reserve was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as natural object, thus becoming the fourteenth object with World Heritage status in Russia.

Area: 406 thousand hectares

Criteria: (x)

Status: inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001

Constituent objects:
Sikhote-Alin State Natural Biosphere Reserve with a buffer zone and the regional reserve "Goraliy" (692150, Primorsky Territory, Terneisky district, Terney village, Partizanskaya street, 44)

The first description of the nature of the Central Sikhote-Alin was made by Vladimir Arseniev at the beginning of the 20th century. Then he noted the uniqueness, diversity, mosaic nature of the natural systems of the mountain forests of the Sikhote-Alin, which he defined as the "Great Forest".

The object includes plain and mountain tundra, one of the largest massifs of primary boreal forests remaining in Europe, and an extensive wetland system. Observation of this protected area for more than 50 years provides invaluable information about natural natural processes that determine the biodiversity of taiga ecosystems.

Russian south Far East- one of the largest and least affected by man areas, where natural ancient coniferous-deciduous and broad-leaved forests have been preserved. The region is located on the great path of plant and animal dispersal 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.

Many rare and endangered species are represented in the reserve, a significant part of which is preserved only within its boundaries. The flora of higher plants here includes about 1,200 species, more than 370 species of birds are known within the limits of the Central Sikhote-Alin, and 71 mammal species.

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, white-breasted bear, Japanese and black cranes, black stork, scaly merganser, fish owl, ginseng, Fori rhododendron, etc. Today, the Sikhote-Alin Reserve is the largest well protected natural reserve in the belt of coniferous-deciduous forests of Eurasia and America.

Picturesque relief, full-flowing rivers, combined with an exceptional variety 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 massifs in the taiga, waterfalls, lakes and rapids, bizarre stone remnants, reefs, sandy bays on the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan. within the reserve and adjacent territory there are numerous monuments of different archaeological cultures.

Category: nature

The southern part of the Far East within the borders Russian Federation is a place of preservation of the most virgin and one of the largest zones, where amazing coniferous-deciduous forests grow. Due to the location of these protected areas on the path of settlement of flora and fauna, passing along the Asian coast Pacific Ocean from tropical to temperate latitudes, here is a plexus of diverse representatives of the southern and northern flora and fauna. The reserve is considered to be the last habitat of many rare species of plants and animals. There are over a thousand species of various plants, bird colonies number more than 350 species, while the number of mammals exceeds 70 species.

Separately, it should be said that the Central Sikhote-Alin is the last refuge for the endangered Amur tiger. Other rare species of animals also live here: white-breasted bear, black stork, black and Japanese crane, Amur goral, scaly merganser and many others.

Picturesque landscapes dotted with full-flowing rivers, combined with an outstanding variety of flora and fauna, the presence of exotic species of animals and plants, make the nature of Sikhote-Alin unique and unrepeatable. There are also many recreational objects here, such as: rock masses surrounded by taiga, calm lakes, noisy waterfalls and river rapids, outlandish stone remains, sandy bays on the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan, reefs and other aesthetic elements of the local nature.

In 2001, the territory of the Central Sikhote-Alin was included in the World natural heritage UNESCO.

At the origins of the creation of the Sikhote-Alin Reserve was a well-known Far Eastern hunter and nature conservation figure, who became its first director, K. G. Abramov. Sikhote-Alin Reserve, the decision to establish it was made in 1935.

The organization of a large reserve in the middle part of the Sikhote-Alin was planned from the beginning of the 30s. Initially, the design of the Sikhote-Alin Reserve was carried out under the auspices of measures to create a network of large sable reserves, which was supposed to ensure the restoration of the stocks of this most valuable fur-bearing animal, which had been severely undermined by that time, both in Siberia and the Far East.

The area of ​​the reserve is 401,428 hectares, including 2,900 hectares - the marine area. Most of the territory of the Sikhote-Alin Reserve is located within two administrative districts of Primorsky Krai - Terneysky (eastern macroslope of Sikhote-Alin) and Krasnoarmeisky (western macroslope).

A small area in the south-west of the reserve belongs to the Dalnegorsk region. The protected area is divided into four forest districts; the largest are Terney and Kolumbeyskoye, a smaller area is occupied by Kuruminskoye and Coastal.

The panorama of the Sikhote-Alin is determined by complexly branched mountain ranges and spurs, valleys and ravines. In the labyrinth of monotonous medium-altitude mountains, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the main watershed.

Against this monotonous background, in some places, like islands, groups of large peaks rise. Such are the massif of the city of Snezhnoy, Terneyskaya and Shanduiskaya hills, a number of other peaks within the reserve.

The density of the hydrographic network in the reserve is on average 0.7 km per 1 km2. The ringing key can be found in almost every, even a small, gully. By the way, not only springs and small streams, but also mountain rivers, sometimes quite large ones, are called “keys” in the Far East.

If the river network of the reserve is very dense, then there are very few lakes here - their total area does not exceed 5 km2. Of great interest is a group of mountain lakes located on the eastern macroslope, at an altitude of about 500 m above sea level. sea, in the upper reaches of the Solontsovoy stream - the left tributary of the river. Waterlogged. There are six lakes in total, the largest of them is Tsarskoe. Lake Tsarskoye periodically dries up, and in the lake. Round the water level is almost constant.

The climate of the Middle Sikhote-Alin is determined by the interaction of marine and continental air masses, manifested in different seasons sharply differently. In summer, the territory of the reserve is under the influence of the northern branch of the East Asian monsoon, which brings humid sea air and is characterized by two stages of development.

The main factor in the formation of the weather in the winter half of the year is the removal of cold and dry Arctic air from the area of ​​the Siberian anticyclone. Aiming for comparative warm sea, this flow moves at high speed - this is how stable winter north-western winds arise, called “miners” in Primorye (winds from the mountains). According to the main climatic indicators, the parts of the reserve lying on the western and eastern macroslopes differ significantly.

The position of the reserve in the Middle Sikhote-Alin, where climatic conditions much more severe than in the south of Primorye, leaves an imprint on the composition of its flora. These are heat-loving forms, for the most part belonging to the type of relics with a Manchu-North Japanese range, the most characteristic representative of which is the heart-leaved hornbeam. Forests occupy 90% of the territory of the reserve. However, there are not so many primeval, virgin forests; they are confined to the upper parts of the Serebryanka and Dzhigitovka basins.

183 species of algae were noted in reservoirs and swampy areas of the reserve. The most diverse are green and diatom algae. On the rocky bottom of the fast mountain rivers bright green tufts of blue-green algae and long, sometimes half a meter, strands of golden algae, fetid hydrurus, are common.

On the territory of the reserves a large number of edible species. Associated with Korean cedar are pale, weeping, and American oilers, as well as pine camelina; with white fir - fir oilers, painted and motley chanterelle; with Gmelin's larch - gray butterdish and several types of boletus; with Mongolian oak - White mushroom, luxurious boletus, cesarean mushroom, valu and russula food and blue-yellow; with Manchurian birch - porcini mushroom, boletus, white podgruzdok and several types of russula; with Daurian birch - yellow-legged obabok; with David's aspen - boletus and blue-yellow russula.

There are 214 species of lichens registered in the reserve. Epiphytic forms predominate, growing on trunks and branches of trees. On rocky screes in the highlands of the Sikhote-Alin, blue-green bushes of cladonias and stereocaulons predominate. Limestone rocks (especially in the Abrek tract) from afar seem to be painted in a bright orange-red color due to the lichen developed on them - graceful calofala. In fir-spruce and cedar- deciduous forests Hypohymnia and usnea grow profusely.

To date, over 100 species of leafy mosses have been recorded in the reserve.

The flora of vascular plants has been most fully studied in the reserve. More than 1000 species are already known here, but there is no reason to consider the identified composition as final, as evidenced by some unexpected finds. recent years.

The Ussuri region is an amazing combination of north and south in the form of forests and flowers, animals and birds, butterflies and beetles. This is because there were forests here already in the Mesozoic, and the yew growing now, as well as the onoklea and osmund ferns, have been known in the Ussuri region since the Cretaceous period, and one of the first the globe angiosperms aralia and now shoots up the cande labra of its inflorescences.

On the territory of the reserve you can find over 1100 species of plants, among which a large number of outlandish and rare species. Three hundred years old cedar, Mongolian tea, dog rose, pointed yew, high lure, rhododendron Fori, eleutherococcus and lemongrass grow here.

Traveling through the reserve, you can be sure that its coniferous-broad-leaved forest is interesting for its relics and endemics. There are more than 200 species of trees, shrubs and vines. The ribbed rose growing here is very beautiful, and the rocks facing the sea, from the top to the surf line, are dressed in luxurious thickets of Maksimovich's hawthorn, big-winged spindle tree, Siberian apple tree, viburnum and small-leaved maple. There are many blue-blue aconites, asters, burnet, cornflower, angelica, cow parsnip, volzhanka and so on.

Traveling along the seaside belt, we gradually find ourselves in mysterious oak forests. On the southern slopes, cedar forests grow with oak, birch, small-leaved maple and linden. The trees are lovingly shrouded in vine actinidia kolomikta, less often lemongrass. Korean cedar is the best fodder plant, due to which there are many animals and birds.

At the same time, Korean cedar cones fall to the ground in autumn, some of them fall in winter and spring. So land consumers with a good harvest receive pine nuts almost all year round. "Highlight" flora reserve, of course, is ginseng.

The relic Araliaceae family is represented by shrubs - Manchurian aralia and high trap, preparations of which are used in medicine. There are three types of woody vines in the Sikhote-Alin Reserve: Amur grapes (vine family), actinidia kolomikta (actinidia family) and Chinese lemongrass (magnolia family). The fruits of these vines have nutritional and medicinal value.

There are many in the reserve rare plants, including those included in the Red Book. These are spiky yew, short-fruited and Sikhotinsky rhododendrons, high lure, large-flowered wide bell, real and large-flowered slippers, white-flowered, obovate and Japanese peonies.

Peculiarities geographical location Far East, its ancient connections with North America, Central and Southeast Asia turned this territory into a center of speciation and created the richest fauna in terms of species. 63 species of mammals, 342 species of birds, 8 amphibians, 5 reptiles, 32 fish, 35 centipedes, 5 ixodid ticks, 4 - earthworms, about 3500 species of insects. In the middle part of the Sikhote-Alin, the most important feature of the fauna of temperate latitudes of East Asia is manifested with the greatest, perhaps, the most completeness and contrast - a combination, “interlacing” of species that are distant in their geographical origin.

The richest forest vegetation with lush shrubs and grasses and relatively low snow conditions determined the diversity and high abundance of wild ungulates in the Ussuri region. Probably the most remarkable ungulate of the reserve is the sika deer, which received the name "deer flower" for its beauty.

In summer, deer are light brown, brightly colored with pure white spots. This outfit perfectly camouflages the animal, so the deer is very difficult to notice in the thickets of the forest. In winter, the spots become smaller, they are not so sharp and the overall color is dull.

The red deer is another deer in the Ussuri region, it is noticeably larger than the sika deer and is distributed much wider than the sika deer, its numbers are also incomparably higher. About 3 thousand of these representatives of the fauna live in the Sikhote-Alin Reserve.

Here you can meet roe deer, elk, wild boar, musk deer living on steep and stone slopes of dark coniferous forests. Musk deer is a great jumper. It is capable of changing the direction of movement at a full gallop at an angle of 90 degrees or sharply changing the direction of running to the opposite, almost instantly picking up the same speed.

Goral is another rare ungulate of the reserve. Outwardly, it resembles a dense, broad-chested goat with a long tail, small black horns with transverse rings thrown back. The long red-brown or gray coat makes the Goral even more squat.

Everywhere in the reserve there are bears: in the northern taiga regions it is more often brown, and in the southern - black. The peculiarity of brown bears in the Ussuri region is that during the years of crop failure of acorns and pine nuts, they often attack wild boars, which are looking for the same food as bears.

In the reserve, you can often meet the Manchurian hare, and among the insectivores, the Moger mole. He lives more often in broad-leaved forests along river valleys, laying underground galleries near the surface, so he throws out little land.

And, of course, the forests of the reserve are the natural habitat of the Amur tiger. On the territory of the reserve, a joint Russian-American program for the conservation of the Amur tiger is being implemented, which includes the study of the population of this unique animal.

Sikhote-Alin State Natural biosphere reserve named after K. G. Abramov - biospheric, located in the southern part of Primorsky Krai. The initial purpose of its creation was the preservation and restoration of the sable, which was almost exterminated at that time.

Currently, it is the most convenient place for observing the Amur tiger.

Established in 1935, area 347.1 thousand hectares. Guards natural complexes cedar-deciduous forests, spruce-fir taiga, woodlands of stone birch, thickets of elfin cedar and mountain tundra on the slopes of the Sikhote-Alin ridge.

The territory of the Sikhote-Alinsky Reserve extends from the rocky shores of the Sea of ​​Japan inland for 93 km, including the eastern and western spurs mountain range Sikhote-Alin.

Flora and fauna of the Sikhote-Alinsky Reserve

The flora of the Sikhote-Alin Reserve has a Manchurian-Okhotsk character with a predominance of Manchurian species. The fauna is also characterized by a combination of species of different origin. "Southerners" and "northerners" form a very colorful and diverse combination.

Flora has more than 800 different plants, including rare ones (spiky yew, Sikhotinsky rhododendron and others).

In total, 1149 species of higher plants, 121 species of bryophytes were noted on the territory of the Sikhote-Alinsky Reserve:

• 368 lichens,
• 670 algae,
• 537 mushrooms,
• 63 mammals,
• 342 birds,
• 8 reptiles,
• 5 amphibians,
• 32nd century, fish,
• 334th century, marine invertebrates
• and about 3.5 thousand insects.

The fauna includes more than 60 varieties of mammals. They include both taiga animals (moose, roe deer, musk deer, red deer, wild boar, Brown bear, lynx, wolverine, sable), and representatives of the southern faunal regions ( Amur tiger, marten-harza, Himalayan (white-breasted) bear, spotted deer, goral antelope and others).

Among the 342 different birds inhabiting, the same mixture of northern (spruce crossbill, kuksha, three-toed woodpecker, bearded partridge, stone capercaillie) and southern species (mandarin duck, blue magpie, black-headed oriole, pheasant, blue stone thrush) is observed.

The Sikhote-Alinsky Reserve is also home to 14 different amphibians and reptiles, including the Schrenk snake, the patterned snake, the muzzle, the Amur centipede lizard and the four-toed Siberian newt.

Salmon fish spawn in the rivers:

• chum salmon,
• sima,
• malma and pink salmon,
• there are also taimen, lenok and grayling.