Vegetable world. The flora of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is extremely rich, diverse and unique
The plant world of CBD is very rich. About half of the plant species growing throughout the Caucasus grow here. This wealth is due to many reasons. The territory of the republic has a vertically dissected relief and a variety of climatic and soil conditions. Plants come here European forests, Western Asian semi-deserts, Western Asian mountain deserts. In addition, due to the peculiarities of the relief and local climates, over a long period of time, a center of formation (endemics) has formed - species confined to a strictly defined territory, for example, bract poppy, single-color decorative primrose Leskensky, Nogmova cornflowers, Kabardian snowdrop, comfrey and sedum Kabardian and others. Of the relics (species preserved from past geological eras) - yew.
The law of altitudinal zonation is manifested here. The change of CBD belts changes vertically - from plains to peaks Watershed Ridge: steppe zone, forest-steppe subzone, forest zone with broad-leaved and coniferous forest, zones of subalpine and alpine meadows, subnival and nival zones.
Steppe zone
The steppe zone of the CBD can be divided into two parts: dry steppe and meadow-steppe. The herbaceous vegetation of the dry-steppe part is represented by dried flowers, wormwood, farrier, wheatgrass, tartar, sage, kuray, ustel-field. On the spurs of the Tersky ridge you can find bract poppy, Caucasian yasinets, kuzmichev grass, sage, thyme and others.
In the meadow-steppe part, where there is more precipitation, succulent grasses grow: various types of clovers, meadow fescue, bluegrass, meadow rank, yellow alfalfa, mouse peas, timothy, cocksfoot and others. In wetlands located in river floodplains, cattails, sedges, reeds, reeds, and willows grow. Numerous shrubs grow in the floodplains of rivers and in adjacent areas: blackthorn, sea buckthorn, viburnum, rose hips.
Forest-steppe
The steppe zone gradually turns into forest-steppe at an altitude of about 500 m above sea level. It stretches as a narrow strip from northwest to southeast at an altitude of 500-1000 m above sea level, corresponding to a strip of foothills. Forests are dominated by wild fruit trees and shrubs: oriental apple tree, Caucasian pear, hazel, cherry plum, medlar, hawthorn, sloe, dogwood, euonymus, viburnum, rose hip. In some places there are thickets of raspberries, blackberries, hops, and wild grapes. Other trees include oak, linden, ash, aspen, and alder. From shrubs: black elderberry, zoster, buckthorn, privet, honeysuckle, etc.
Broadleaf forest subzone
Broad-leaved forests cover both slopes of the Lesisty ridge, the northern slopes of the Pastbishchny and Skalisty ridges, and most of the space between these ridges. The total area occupied by broad-leaved forests within Kabardino-Balkaria is about 80 thousand hectares. Beech, hornbeam, linden, maple, ash, elm, hop hornbeam, alder, honeysuckle, Caucasian rowan, birch and other trees grow in them.
Hawthorn, dogwood, euonymus, rose hips, currants, Caucasian blueberries, azalea and others grow in the undergrowth of deciduous forests. In the herbaceous cover there are ferns, woodruff, oxalis, bluegrass, blue gentian, umbrella hawkweed, tall valerian and others.
Subzone coniferous forests
Above the broad-leaved forests, at an altitude of 1600 to 2400 m above sea level, small-leaved and coniferous forests rise. The subzone of coniferous forests in Kabardino-Balkaria does not represent a continuous belt, but is scattered in separate tracts. IN mixed forests Coniferous and small-leaved trees grow in a wide variety of proportions. In the undergrowth there are barberries, wild gooseberries, currants, blueberries, wolf's bast, blue honeysuckle and others. In more humid and shady places various ferns, buttercups, wild garlic and many other plants grow.
Subalpine meadow zone
Subalpine meadows are located at an altitude of 1600 to 2600 m above sea level. They begin as a broken line, covering the slopes of the Skalisty, Bokovoy, Main ridges and most of the Northern and Central depression. Of the forage grasses, the most valuable are cereals: clover, exportet, barley, fescue, ryegrass, bluegrass, bromegrass, sweet grass, reed grass, meadow timothy and others. Scabiosa, anemones, primroses, cornflowers, aconites, lilies, and bluebells grow in subalpine meadows. Alpine meadow zone
Above the subalpine meadows, at an altitude of 2600 to 3200 m above sea level, there are alpine meadows. Here you can find hazel grouse, sleep grass, gentillers, primroses, bluebells, forget-me-nots, mountain violets, mountain buttercups, partridge grass, quarry grass, sedum, rhododendrons, currants, individual barberry bushes and patches of juniper.
Subnival and nival zone
The subnival zone begins at the 3200 m line. Here you can find various lichens, mosses, cuckoo flax, snowy cetraria, and serpentine tamnolia. Above the subnival zone is the nival zone (glaciers), it is covered with snow, glaciers and devoid of vegetation. Animal world
The fauna of the CBD is rich and diverse. There are 62 species of mammals, represented by 6 species of artiodactyls, 22 species of rodents, 9 species of insectivores, 10 species of chiropterans, and 10 species of predators. There are 15 species of reptiles, 7 species of amphibians, 10 species of fish. There are 316 species and subspecies of birds, of which 157 nest, 38 species come to us for the winter, 121 species are found on migration. Invertebrates are poorly studied in the republic.
The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is located in the central part of the North Caucasus and is one of the most picturesque corners of Russia. Thanks to the natural and climatic features, the fauna of Kabardino-Balkaria is extremely rich and diverse. The republic is rightly considered a refugium (Latin refugium - refuge) for many “Red Book” species of animals and plants. A relatively small area of 12.5 thousand square kilometers is home to about 350 species of vertebrates and more than 10,000 species of invertebrate animals, which is tens of times greater than the biological diversity of comparable regions in the southern plains Russian Federation.
Mammals - the most significant class of vertebrates. More than 70 species of this class are found on the territory of the republic, including fox, wolf, jackal, bear, red deer, roe deer, chamois, wild boar, lynx, Caucasian otter, hare and many others. Among them there are also recent invaders, such as the yak, American mink, raccoon dog, muskrat and European squirrel. The latter adapted to life in urban conditions, becoming a habitual inhabitant of the Nalchik city park.
Small mammals such as rodents are also widespread. They are excellent consumers of plant organic matter, inaccessible to domestic animals, and also, in turn, food items for predatory mammals, birds and reptiles.
Common hamster
Birds- a class of vertebrates that is especially numerous in terms of the number of species. Today, the habitat of 219 species of sedentary, nomadic and migratory birds has been reliably established in the republic. Among sedentary animals, the most typical are representatives of the orders Passeriformes (house, village and stone sparrows, dipper, greenfinch, etc.) and Corvids ( hoodie, alpine jackdaw, magpie, jay). In recent decades, the number of rooks has increased. Typical diurnal birds of prey include the buzzard, steppe eagle and falcon. Nocturnal predators are represented by the long-eared owl, scops owl and owl. Among the wild chickens that are hunted on the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic are the Caucasian pheasant, the Caucasian snowcock, partridge, and also quail during autumn migrations.
In recent years, there has been a tendency towards an increase in the number of some birds, in particular semi-aquatic and waterfowl (great white and gray herons, herons, gulls, etc.). This is directly related to the increase in typical biotopes - large and medium-sized reservoirs. Occasionally, on large bodies of water in Kabardino-Balkaria (Lake Tambukan), exotic species such as flamingos and pelicans are observed. However, their appearance on the territory of the republic is rather accidental.
gray heron
Reptiles, or Reptiles, in Kabardino-Balkaria there are 16 species: marsh turtle, steppe and Lotiev vipers (otherwise called “Caucasian”), water and common grass snake, four-striped, patterned and yellow-bellied snakes, copperhead, spindle, tricolor foot-and-mouth, meadow, snapping, green, rock and striped lizards. These are quite common species of reptiles, only three of them - the four-striped and yellow-bellied snakes, as well as the tricolor foot-and-mouth disease - are included in the Red Book of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.
Reptiles play a significant role in the food chain of the republic’s ecosystems, being, along with birds and insectivorous mammals, excellent regulators of the number of invertebrates and rodents.
Fast lizard
Amphibians , or Amphibians, on the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic are represented by 7 species - lance newt, gray and green toads, pond and Asia Minor frogs, Caucasian cross and common tree frog. They are also an important link in food chains, destroying various insects, including those dangerous to humans and domestic animals. A number of species - newt, cross and gray toad due to their small numbers, limited habitats and, as a consequence, poor knowledge, they are included in the Red Book of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.
Lake frog
Fish– one of the main components of the republic’s aquatic ecosystems. General biodiversity of fish, according to A.N. Parthenica (1966), has increased significantly over the past 40 years - from 12 to 33 species. A significant proportion of them belong to the Carp family: these are two types of barbel (Terek and yellow), two types of minnows (Terek and North Caucasian long-whiskered), Terek podust, Caucasian chub, eastern bystryanka, bleak, verkhovka, tench, silver crucian carp, carp, grass carp , silver carp and some others. Also in the upper reaches of the rivers and spring streams of the republic, brook trout (Salmon family) is found - the residential form of the Terek population of Caspian salmon. However, its numbers are steadily declining.
In recent years, alien fish species have been penetrating and acclimatizing into the republic's water bodies, such as rainbow trout, Amur shad, grass carp, silver and bighead carp, smallmouth buffalo, silver crucian carp, silver bream, pike, perch, ruffe, nine-spined stickleback, and goby. and sand goby. This, undoubtedly, negatively affects the native ichthyofauna, which is largely composed of endemic and local fish species - brook trout, Terek barbel, barbel-chanari, Terek podust, Krynitsky's char, Cis-Caucasian spined loach, Caucasian chub, eastern bystryanka, Terek and long-whiskered minnows .
Rainbow trout
It is worth noting that irrigation played a significant role in changing the “fish population” of the republic’s water bodies. In the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (the middle Terek basin, the annual flow volume is 8.20 km 3, including 3.95 km 3 of local runoff), the area of irrigated land increased by 1991 compared to 1940 by almost 7 times and amounted to 130,870 hectares, the length of irrigation canals exceeds 4 thousand km, and the area of small agricultural reservoirs for complex purposes is 2 thousand hectares.
Invertebrates – the most extensive group of living organisms in terms of number of species and biomass. There is still no clear opinion on the number of species of invertebrate animals living on the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. It is estimated that within the republic there are more than 10,000 species of insects alone. Among them, the most interesting and, therefore, the most studied are large insects - dragonflies, bugs, Orthoptera, butterflies and Coleoptera. Some of them are included in the Red Book of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic: the beautiful arrow, the flat dragonfly, the yellow-legged damsel, the common damsel, the watchman-lord, the steppe rack, the steppe fat beetle, the stag beetle, the Caucasian ground beetle, the odorous beetle, the clay bumblebee, the carpenter bee , Scolia giant, Death's head hawkmoth, oleander hawkmoth, swallowtail, Apollo, polyxena, small peacock's eye and some others.
The natural conditions of Kabardino-Balkaria are varied in their splendor. The republic spread its possessions in the south of the European part of Russia, along the northern slopes of the central part of the Greater Caucasus. The landscapes are diverse and unique: from flat areas and foothills to mountain peaks in the kingdom of snow and ice. The biological diversity of the territory is due to the poor development of mountain areas due to their difficult accessibility. A fairly mild climate and generous sun determine the natural conditions of the region, the richness of its flora and fauna.
Flora of Kabardino-Balkaria
The fauna of the republic is characterized by all the main types of flora, except for representatives of the subtropics and tropics.
On the plain, grains, legumes, and melons are cultivated, and fruits and berries grow in abundance.
The foothills and mountainous areas are occupied by forests, occupying up to 20% of the territory. Mostly deciduous trees grow; conifers are present, but in small quantities. Wild fruit and shrub trees grow in the forests of the foothills, with fruits containing rich reserves of vitamins and useful minerals. Representatives of this type of vegetation are tart Caucasian pear, wild cherry, honey cherry plum, dogwood, blackthorn, etc. There are many in forest area wild hazelnuts. The main types of trees in mid-mountain areas are beech and its constant companion - hornbeam, a valuable deciduous tree alder, tall oaks, as well as linden and ash. Higher in the mountains grow maple, birch, rowan, bird cherry, as well as representatives of coniferous plants - pine and yew.
Among the high-mountain vegetation you can find evergreen rhododendron, as well as representatives of high-mountain meadows - mountain bells, graceful carnations, flowers of inspiration - anemones, etc.
In the upper reaches of the mountains, blueberry and blueberry bushes can grow.
Fauna of Kabardino-Balkaria
The composition of the republic's fauna is diverse. Among the fauna there are dexterous and hardy mountain goats, wild boars, fur predators - foxes and various representatives of the mustelid family - martens, otters and minks, fleet-footed hares, as well as brown bears and badgers.
Valuable breeds are also found in this region - noble Caucasian deer, graceful roe deer and chamois. There are predatory animals - wolf, forest cat, lynx, leopard, as well as many species of rodents.
The fauna of Kabardino-Balkaria is rich in birds. The inhabitants of the lowland part, such as pheasant, partridge and quail, especially attract attention. In the highlands there are unique representatives of the fauna of the Caucasus - stone partridge, Caucasian mountain turkey. The inaccessible rocky terrain is where the eagle, golden eagle, vulture and black vulture nest. There are also other feathered predators - the eagle owl, the tawny owl, the short-eared owl and the brown owl.
The clean mountain rivers and lakes of the republic are home to Caspian salmon, trout, carp, silver carp, etc.
Climate in Kabardino-Balkaria
Seasonal periods in the republic practically correspond to the calendar:
Winter is short, from two to three months, beginning in December and ending in February. The temperature regime, except in the highlands, is quite mild, the average temperature in winter is up to 2°C below zero. Frequent thaws are observed.
Spring comes in March and ends at the end of May. Characterized by big amount sunny days and, starting from the end of March, a rapid flowering of vegetation.
Summer comes into its own according to the calendar and lasts until mid-September. The average temperature on the plain is 23°C, in the mountains it is cooler.
The autumn period begins in the second half of September and ends in November. The first snow usually falls quite late and does not last long.
RED BOOK
KABARDINO-
BALKARIA
Radzevich S.Yu – teacher,
Dereza E.V.. - teacher,
kindergarten No. 97, Krasnodar
1. redbook.ru› kab-bal04.htm
2. rusouth.info› territory6/pack9y/paper-hfoybo.htm
3 . en.wikipedia.org
Mountain goat…..5
Chamois….. 11
Wild boar….. 15
Bison…..20
Snow leopard….. 30
Caucasian viper….. 40
Red-winged wall climbers…..43
Alpine jackdaws .....46
Redstarts….. 48
Asia Minor newt….. 54
Eared hedgehog….. 57
Dolomite bell...65
Petrokoma Gefta…..68
Saxifraga columnar…..70
Common ostrich…..72
Birch Radde…..74
Impatiens vulgare…..77
Caucasian rhododendron…..82
Beetle - deer .....85
Mountain goat (tour)
Morphological features
Medium sized animals torso tightly folded; neck thickened, head relatively short, forehead convex, wide. Horns in males they are large, in different species they are very diverse in shape and structure, in females they are small and more of the same type; at the root they are compressed laterally, so that the longitudinal diameter is greater than the transverse one, equipped
in front with transverse ridges and strongly bent back; tail short, triangular shape, devoid of hair on the lower surface, is usually raised. Ears quite large, very mobile, pointed at the ends. Preorbital glands, inguinal glands And intercoffin glands usually not. Males on the lower, bare surface of the tail at the base have special skin glands that secrete secret with a harsh and unpleasant, goat-like smell, especially strong during estrus. The hair coat consists of long and coarse guard hairs and well-developed thick undercoat; mostly on the chin beard, sometimes there is a strong elongation of hair also on the lower part of the neck and breasts. Females have 2 pacifier.
Range and habitat
All goats are typically mountain animals, inhabiting hard-to-reach rocky places, steep slopes of cliffs, gorges and avoiding any large open and flat spaces. Distributed vertically up to a height of 5.5 thousand m above sea level and more. They are perfectly adapted to life in the mountains, moving with exceptional speed and dexterity along the most inaccessible cliffs.
Found in the mountains Europe, northern Africa, middle and southern Asia.
Lifestyle
Excellent climbers mountains with great strength and endurance; very careful, but sometimes show great courage.
herd polygamous animals. Adult males live separately for most of the year, joining females for the mating period. Goats live families or small in herds, rarely gathering in large herds. Herd sizes vary with the seasons, usually being largest in winter months. In places where goats are numerous, their herds can consist of several hundred animals.
In summer live high in the mountains in winter, avoiding deep snow, which makes it difficult to move and get food, they descend lower. They usually graze in morning And evening hours, spending the hottest part of the day on vacation.
Where goats are hunted intensively, they go to pastures at night, hiding during the day in inaccessible places.
Goats run wild easily; Such wild goats are found on some islands Mediterranean Sea, in southern Asia, on the island of Juan Fernandez, etc. Domestic goats are now widespread throughout the Earth, especially in mountainous areas unsuitable for cultivation. They climb well, climb even highly branched trees and can graze in places inaccessible to other livestock.
Nutrition
Eat a varied diet grassy And woody-shrubby vegetation, mosses, lichens.
By gnawing the bark, goats harm young trees and can greatly hinder the regeneration of the forest after cutting.
Reproduction
Mating occurs at the beginning of winter. During this period, fierce fights are observed between males over females. Pregnancy lasts about 5-6 months, in May-June females ( wild species) give birth to 1-2 kids, domestic goats sometimes give birth to up to 4 kids, which quickly grow stronger and can soon follow their mother. They reach sexual maturity in the second year of life.
Practical use
Valuable game animals, hunted mainly for meat, skins are used for leather and fur products, horns are used as decoration.
They easily tolerate captivity and reproduce well. Goats were domesticated by humans in ancient times and are the progenitors of numerous modern breeds domestic goats. Different kinds goats mate with each other and with domestic goats, forming fertile crosses.
Used as food milk goats and meat In addition, wool, leather and horns are used in industry.
West Caucasus tour (Capra caucasica)
They are characterized by horns curved in the form of a wide spiral and highly rounded in cross section.
East Caucasian, or Dagestan tour (lat. Capra cylindricornis) - the horns are curved in an extended spiral and their ends are directed back and up. Found only in the eastern part Main Caucasian ridge.
Western Caucasian, or Kuban tour (lat. Capra caucasica), with shorter bent horns, curved in an arched manner, with the apices directed downward and inward, and ridges on them brought together in pairs. The Kuban tur is common in the western part of the Main Caucasus Range. Listed in international Red Book.
Spanish tour or Pyrenean tour (lat. Capra pyrenaica), with slightly curved lyre-shaped horns, the apices of which are directed upward and inward, and the transverse ridges are much weaker, found on Pyrenees and many other highlands of Spain.
Chamois
Description
The chamois measures approximately one meter in length and 75 cm at the withers. Tail very short, its length does not exceed 8 cm. The weight of chamois is from 30 to 50 kg. She has a compact and strong body with a slender neck, short muzzle, pointed ears, whose length is almost half the length of the head. Chamois have long slender legs with flat hooves, as well as reaching 25 cm curved back horns inherent in both sexes. Behind them is a hole from which a mucous, foul-smelling substance is secreted during the mating period. secret.
In summer, chamois are red-brown in color; on the belly, the color is light red-yellow. She has black-brown stripes on her back, and her neck is yellowish-white. The back of the legs is white, the tail is black on the underside and at the tip. Extends from ears to eyes black stripe. In winter, chamois are dark brown above and white below. The legs and head are yellow-white.
Spreading
Chamois in the mountains
Chamois live in Alps and are found from French Savoy before Dalmatia, as well as in Balkan mountains and in Carpathians. Their distribution area also includes Caucasus and Asia Minor. Chamois most readily inhabit elevated forest belts; in summer they often rise even higher into the mountains. If she is too much annoyed below, she rises to rocky areas almost inaccessible to humans, from where in the early morning she makes forays into mountain meadows between the rocks. In winter it descends into the forests.
Behavior
Females and young animals live in small herds of 15 to 30 animals. Social connections change depending on seasons. In summer they are very intense. One of the animals always acts as a guard and notifies the others in case of danger with a whistle-like sound. As winter approaches, the bonds of the herd become weaker, some herds mix, others simply disintegrate. As a rule, the herd is led by an experienced female. Adult males live alone and visit herds only in late summer. Chasing away the growing young males, they fight with other rivals for the right to mate with the females of the herd, which occurs in the second half of November.
At the end of May or at the beginning of June, chamois give birth to one to three calves, which follow the mother and during three months feed exclusively on the mother's milk. Puberty is reached between the ages of two and three years, in females earlier than in males. Life expectancy for females is 20 years, for males - 15.
Chamois food consists of young shoots alpine shrubs and trees, as well as from herbs and foliage. In winter they do not disdain either mosses And lichens.
Enemies and dangers
The natural enemies of chamois are lynx, wolves And the Bears. Sometimes young chamois become prey golden eagle. Rolling stones and rock fragments also pose a danger to chamois. avalanches, in which primarily the cubs die. During difficult winters, many chamois fall victim to hunger.
Wild boar
general characteristics
Boar - omnivore artiodactyl non-ruminant mammal of the genus pigs(Sus). Differs from the domestic pig, which undoubtedly descended from the wild boar (and other related species), has a shorter and denser body, thicker and higher legs; in addition, the boar's head is longer and thinner, its ears are longer, sharper and, moreover, erect, sharp, fangs more developed and sharper: in male they are much more developed than those females.
The stubble, except on the lower part of the neck and the back of the abdomen, forms something like a mane on the back. The bristles are black-brown with an admixture of yellowish, the undercoat is brownish-gray, due to this the overall color is gray-black-brown, the muzzle, tail, lower legs and hooves are black. Pied and piebald specimens are rare and are considered descendants of feral domestic pigs. Body length up to 175 cm, tail 25 cm, height at withers up to 1 m; The weight of an adult wild boar can reach 150-200 kg.
Wild boars are found in deciduous and mixed forests of mainland Central Europe (from the Atlantic to Ural, Mediterranean (including certain areas of North Africa, including Atlas and Cyrenaica), steppe regions of Eurasia, Central Asia, northeast Western Asia; in the north it reaches 50° N. sh., in the east to the Amur and the Himalayas; beyond these borders (in South Asia, South and Central Africa) it is replaced by related species. In ancient times, the wild boar's range was much wider than today. In Central Europe and the Middle East, it was previously found almost everywhere, but has now been exterminated in many places, as well as throughout England. It is believed that the ancestors of modern domestic pigs are wild boars of Mesopotamia and Europe. In Russia, the wild boar is found in large areas of the European part of Russia (except for the northeastern tundra and taiga regions), on Caucasus, V Southern Siberia; on Tien Shan it goes up to 3300 m. European wild boars were brought to North America by humans as objects of hunting and spread in the wild along with feral domestic pigs. In Australia, feral pigs have a lifestyle similar to wild boars_)
Habits
Boar wallowing in the mud
The wild boar lives in water-rich, swampy areas, both wooded and overgrown with reeds, bushes, etc. Old males live mostly alone and join the herds only during mating. Females usually form small herds of 10-30 females and cubs and young, weak males. Estrus occurs from November to January; Fierce fights occur between males at this time. Pregnancy lasts about 18 weeks, the number piglets(normally born once a year) 4-6 and sometimes 12; at first they are colored with white, black-brown and yellow stripes, which help camouflage in the forest floor. The female carefully guards the cubs and fiercely protects them from enemies. Wild boars reach sexual maturity at approximately 1.5 years of age and become adults at 5-6 years of age.
Female boar with piglet
The boar's movements are clumsy, but fast; it swims excellently and can swim considerable distances. Vision is poorly developed, but sense of smell and hearing are very good. Boars are cautious, but not cowardly; when irritated, injured or protecting their young, they are very brave and dangerous due to their strength and large fangs. Besides humans, the only dangerous animals for wild boars, mainly young ones, are wolves And lynx, and in South Asia tigers, which, however, rarely attack old large males. During the day, wild boars lie in a dug hole; sometimes a common arrangement is arranged lair. In the evening they go out to swim and look for food, which consists mainly of vegetation (roots, fruits, acorns, etc.), but also includes various small animals and carrion. They can also visit fields of potatoes, turnips, and grains, causing harm to agriculture, especially by tearing up and trampling crops. They often damage young trees. Very rarely, wild boars attack fairly large animals, sick or wounded, for example, fallow deer, roe deer, even deer, killing and eating them. Boar meat is tasty (which is why it was domesticated), and its skin and bristles are also useful.
Characteristic
The bison is the heaviest and largest land animal mammals Europe and the last European representative of the wild bulls. Its body length can reach 330 cm, height at the withers up to two meters, and weight reaches one ton. Like its North American relative, its wool dark brown, reddish in young calves. The head is noticeably short, drooping, with a pronounced “beard” and two small horns. The differences between bison and American bison are minor. The bison has a higher hump, different in shape, longer horns and a tail. The bison's head is set higher than that of the bison. The body format of the bison fits into a square, while that of the bison fits into an elongated rectangle, that is, the bison has a longer back and shorter legs. In the hot season, the back of the bison is covered with very short hair, almost bald, while the bison has hair developed all over its body at all times of the year. Both species are approximately the same in size, although the American bison, due to its stockiness, looks more compact and stronger.
Within the species, two subspecies are distinguished - the Belovezhsk bison and Caucasian bison. The Caucasian bison differed from the Belovezhsk bison in that it had darker and curly hair, was slightly smaller in size, and was exterminated by people by 1927. In our time, bison introduced by humans live in the Caucasus.
Facts from the life of bison
Body length - 3 m
Height at withers - 2 m
Height at rump - 1.6 m
Weight - 1 ton
Life expectancy - 23-25 years
Gon - from mid-July to September
Currently, the clear seasonality of the rut is disrupted
Gestation period - 9 months (262-267 days)
Puberty - 1.5-2 years
Maximum sizes by 5-6 years
A bull is about 1/3 larger than a cow
First calving - at 4 years
IN favorable conditions breed annually
Milk fat content - up to 12%
The calf is fed for up to 5 months, sometimes up to a year.
Reproduction period:
cows - from 3 to 18 years
bull - from 5 to 15 years
Calf weight at birth - 19-25 kg
1.5 hours after birth, the calf follows its mother
The calf eats grass from 19-22 days.
The original range of the bison extended from Iberian Peninsula before Western Siberia and also included England and southern Scandinavia. In this large range, bison inhabited not only forests, but also open areas. Only because of intense human hunting did the bison become an animal found only in dense forests. Back in the Middle Ages, people highly valued bison and protected them from poachers, but over the years the population has steadily declined. Soon the bison could only be found in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and on Caucasus. It was a disaster for bison First World War and years of devastation. The last free-living bison was killed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha by forester Kazimir Shpakovsky in 1921 , and in the Caucasus the last three bison were killed in 1926 in the vicinity of Mount Alous. Only 66 animals are preserved in zoos and private holdings around the world. On the initiative of a Polish zoologist Yana Stoltsman in Frankfurt am Main In 1923, the International Society for the Conservation of the Bison was created. Today those evicted by special programs from zoos the nature of bison populations live in Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine and on Caucasus V Caucasian, Teberdinsky And North Ossetian reserves, Tseysky Nature Reserve. In the territory Spassky district Ryazan region located Oka Biosphere state reserve with a bison nursery (the nursery operates from 1959). Bison were also brought to the Vologda region. Currently, the number of this rare species of Red Book animals in the region numbers 40 individuals. In 2011, it is planned to import 13 more animals, and by the end of the target program, the number of bison should be about 90 individuals. From 1996 to the present in the national park Oryol Polesie 65 bison were imported. Today, three groups of bison have been created with a total number of more than 120 animals . Currently, bison have also been introduced into the Polesie State Radiation-Ecological Reserve (Republic of Belarus) .
The first bison nursery that appeared in Russia in 1948, is in Serpukhov district Moscow region V Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve.
IN 2011 V pleistocene park (Yakutia) bison were brought from Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve
Behavior
Bison live in small herds ranging in size from three to twenty animals, consisting mainly of females and young calves. The leader of the bison herd is the female. Males prefer to live alone (solitaries) and join the herd only during the mating season. The manifestations of sexual behavior are limited by heat, frost and lack of energy, therefore, in bison in captivity (where they are well fed) at a favorable temperature, the rut can begin at any time of the year. In natural populations, the rut takes place in August-September. Currently, the clear seasonality of the rut is disrupted as a result of long-term involuntary breeding. Between competing males, things can lead to fights, which may well end in severe injuries. In winter, individual herds often unite into even larger groups, sometimes including several males. The female's pregnancy lasts 9 months. Between May and July, one calf is born, feeding milk mothers throughout the year. At the age of four, the bison is considered sexually mature, although both earlier and later maturation are possible. Young males, leaving the maternal herd, often form herds of young bachelors before they gain enough strength to live alone. The life expectancy of a bison can reach 28 years.
Story
Already in the era of the last ice age bison were hunted from outside person. Their images are often found among cave paintings. Despite the fact that the bison became extinct in Mediterranean region even before the first historical records began, ancient Greeks And Romans knew this animal that lived in Thrace and in Germany. The first description of the bison was made Pliny the Elder, who named him “buffalo”. He likened the bison to “a bull with a horse’s mane, wearing horns so short that they are of no use in battle. Instead of fighting, the bison runs away from every threat and leaves behind a half-mile trail of feces, which, when touched, burns its pursuer like fire.” In later eras, the Romans encountered bison often enough to realize that these stories were not true. They brought bison to Rome so that they perform in arenas against gladiators.
Medieval literature sometimes mentioned the bison, although it is not always clear whether she meant the bison or the now extinct Bos taurus primigenius, subspecies wild bulls. Destruction of forests, increasing density of human settlements and intensive hunting in XVII And XVIII century exterminated the bison in almost all European countries. At first 19th century wild bison apparently remained only in two regions: the Caucasus and Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The number of animals was about 500 and declined over the course of a century, despite protection Russian by the authorities. In 1921, due to anarchy during and after First World War The bison were finally destroyed by poachers - the last cow was shot in February of that year by the former forester of Belovezhskaya Pushcha Bartolomeus Shpakovich (according to other sources - Kazimir Shpakovsky). In the Caucasus, bison, with the exception of one male, became extinct by 1927 , since in 1926 shepherds on Mount Alous killed three bison, probably the last . Founded in 1923, the International Society for the Conservation of Bison conducted an international census of captive bison in 1926. She found that as of January 1, 1927, only 48 bison were preserved in various zoos and parks all over the world, all of them descended from 12 founding animals (5 bulls and 7 cows) kept in European zoos at the beginning of the 20th century.
Painstaking and time-consuming work began to restore the population, first in Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Poland, in zoos in Europe, later in the Caucasus and Askania-Nova. An international stud book was published and each animal was assigned a number. The Second World War interrupted this work and some of the animals died. However, after the end of the war, work to save the bison resumed. IN 1946 bison began to be bred on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, which belongs to Soviet Union(by this time, 17 bison remained on Polish territory, which were collected in a special nursery).
In 2000, the number of bison was ~3500 individuals. Today's bison can be divided into two forms: the first is the Belovezhsky subspecies, and the second is the factory line. Caucasian-Belovezhsky bison contain the genes of the only Caucasian specimen that survived in captivity. WITH 1961 In the USSR, the resettlement of bison into forests began, within their former range (Works by M. A. Zablotsky).
Bison in Belovezhskaya Pushcha
To date, the first stage of work to preserve the bison has been completed: this will disappear in the near future rare species not threatening. However, the IUCN Red List classifies this species as vulnerable - “VU” (“vulnerable”) according to criterion D1 (despite a decrease in the 1990s, the population has been growing since 2000) (The IUCN Red List, 2009). On the territory of Russia, the Red Book of the Russian Federation (1998) placed the bison in category 1 - Endangered.
As a result of the targeted activities of many specialists, as of December 31, 1997, there were 1,096 bison in the world in captivity (zoos, nurseries and other reserves), and 1,829 individuals in free populations. But if in the mid-1980s there were about 1,100 bison in the USSR, including about 300 in Russia, then by the end of the 90s, free populations of purebred bison in the Caucasus decreased somewhat (they live in Caucasian Nature Reserve, Tseysky reserve in North Ossetia and Arkhyzsky area Teberda Nature Reserve).
In this situation, in 1997, with the participation of the State Committee of the Russian Federation for the Protection environment an interregional program for the conservation of the Russian bison was created and approved by the governors of three regions (Oryol, Kaluga, Bryansk), and in 1998, under the State Committee for Ecology of Russia, it was created Working group on bison and bison, which is tasked with developing a “Strategy for the conservation of bison in Russia”
Since September 1996, RPO WWF began implementing a project to create the first large free-living population of bison in the Oryol-Bryansk region. The administration took a very important part in this program Oryol region, which created the national park - Oryol Polesie, prepared enclosures for keeping animals and provided care for them, security and observation, and also paid a significant part of the costs of transporting bison. The first bison were brought from the bison nurseries of the Oksky and Prioksko-Terrasny reserves. Moreover, the most genetically valuable animals from the imported groups are left in these nurseries for further breeding. To date, a total of 55 bison have been transferred to the region and there is a natural growth of the population and the spread of bison to suitable areas. Since 1998, various areas of work on bison (creation of the Oryol-Bryansk population in Russia, a transboundary population in the Carpathians, support for maintaining a stud book, support for writing an Action Plan) are also supported within the framework of the European Large Herbivore Initiative of the World Wildlife Fund, funded by the Dutch government.
Snow Leopard
Irbis, or Snow Leopard, or snow leopard- large carnivorous mammal from the cat family, living in mountain ranges Central Asia. The snow leopard is distinguished by a thin, long, flexible body, relatively short legs, a small head and a very long tail. Reaching a length of 200-230 cm together with the tail, it weighs up to 55 kg. The fur color is light smoky gray with ring-shaped and solid dark spots. Due to the inaccessibility of the habitat and the low density of the species, many aspects of its biology still remain poorly studied. Currently, the number of snow leopards is catastrophically small; in the 20th century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book, the Red Book of Russia, as well as in the protection documents of other countries. As of 2012, hunting snow leopards is prohibited.
Habitat
Slopes Altai mountains - typical habitat snow leopards
The snow leopard is a characteristic representative of the fauna of the high rocky mountains of Central and Central Asia. Among large cats, the snow leopard is the only permanent inhabitant of the highlands . It predominantly inhabits alpine meadows, treeless cliffs, rocky areas, rocky outcrops, steep gorges and is often found in the snowy zone. But, at the same time, in a number of areas the snow leopard lives at much lower altitudes, populating the zone of tree and shrub vegetation.
Inhabiting the upper zones high mountains, the snow leopard prefers areas of small open plateaus, gentle slopes and narrow valleys covered with alpine vegetation, which alternate with rocky gorges, piles of rocks and screes. The ridges where snow leopards usually live are usually characterized by very steep slopes, deep gorges and rock outcrops. Snow leopards can also be found on more leveled areas, where bushes and rocky screes provide them with shelter for resting. Snow leopards mainly stay above the forest line, but can also be found in forests (more often in winter).
Habitat covers biotopes, located in the belt between 1500-4000 meters above sea level. Sometimes found at the border of eternal snow, and on Pamir in the upper reaches Alichura Even in winter, its traces were found several times at an altitude of 4500-5000 meters above sea level. IN Himalayas The snow leopard has been recorded at an altitude of 5400-6000 meters above sea level and below 2000-2500 meters above sea level. In summer, it most often stays at an altitude of 4000-4500 meters above sea level. .
On the slopes Turkestan ridge In summer, snow leopards were observed exclusively from approximately 2600 meters above sea level and above. Here the snow leopard stays in rocky places . In Talas Alatau it lives in the belt between 1200 - 1800 and 3500 meters above sea level . In the Dzhungar Alatau it is found at an altitude of 600-700 meters above sea level.
On the ridge Kungey Alatau In summer, snow leopards are rarely found in the spruce forest belt (2100-2600 meters above sea level) and especially often in the alpine zone (altitudes up to 3300 m above sea level). In Trans-Ili Alatau and Central Tien Shan In summer, the snow leopard rises to altitudes of up to 4000 meters or more, and in winter it sometimes descends to altitudes of 1200 m above sea level. u. m. However, the snow leopard is not a high-mountain animal everywhere - in a number of places it lives year-round in the area of low mountains and in the mountain steppe at altitudes of 600-1500 meters above sea level, staying, as in the highlands, near rocky gorges, cliffs and rock outcrops, in places where they live goats And argali. At altitudes of 600-1000 meters above sea level, the snow leopard is common all year round in the spurs of the Dzungarian Alatau, Altynemel, Chulak and Matai .
In summer, following its main prey, the snow leopard rises to subalpine And Alpine belts In winter, when high snow cover sets in, the snow leopard descends from the highlands to the middle mountain zone - often in the area of \u200b\u200bconiferous forest. Seasonal migrations are characterized by a fairly regular nature and are caused by seasonal migrations ungulates- the main prey of the snow leopard .
Biology and ecology
Mostly active at dusk, but sometimes during the day. Hunts in most cases before sunset and in the morning at dawn. In the south of the range, for example, in Himalayas, the snow leopard goes hunting only before sunset. During the day, snow leopards mostly rest, sleep, and lie on the rocks. It makes its lair in caves and rock crevices, among rocky heaps, often under an overhanging slab and in other similar places where it hides during the day. Often the snow leopard occupies the same den for several years in a row. In the Kyrgyz Alatau, there are known cases when snow leopards used large nests for daytime roosting. black vultures, located on low-growing archakh .
Territorial and social behavior
Adult snow leopards are territorial animals, leading a predominantly solitary lifestyle (but family groups are also found), although females raise kittens for quite a long period of time. Each snow leopard lives within the boundaries of a strictly defined individual territory. However, it does not aggressively defend its territory from other members of its species. The habitat of an adult male can be overlapped by individual habitats of one to three females . Snow leopards mark their personal territories in various ways.
Individual territories can vary significantly in size. IN Nepal, where there is a lot of prey, such an area can be relatively small - with an area from 12 km² to 39 km², and 5-10 animals can live on an area of 100 km². A low prey area of 1000 km² is home to only up to 5 individuals .
The snow leopard regularly makes the rounds of its hunting area, visiting winter pastures and camps of wild ungulates. At the same time, he moves, adhering to the same routes. When going around pastures or descending from the upper belt of mountains to lower areas, the snow leopard always follows a path that usually follows a ridge or along a river or stream. The length of such a detour is usually long, so the snow leopard appears again in one place or another once every few days .
The animal is poorly adapted to movement on deep, loose snow cover. In areas where there is loose snow, snow leopards mainly trample down permanent paths along which they move for a long time. .
Food and hunting
Predator, usually hunting large prey corresponding to its size or larger . The snow leopard is able to cope with prey three times its mass . The main prey of the snow leopard almost everywhere and all year round is ungulates.
In the wild, snow leopards mainly feed on ungulates: blue rams, Siberian mountain goats, horned goats, argali, tarami, takins, serow, gorals, roe deer, deer, musk deer, deer, wild boars. In addition, from time to time they feed on small animals atypical for their diet, such as gophers, pikas And birds (chukars, Ulars,pheasants)
On Pamir he mainly feeds Siberian mountain goats, less often argali. IN Himalayas snow leopard hunts mountain goats, gorals, wild sheep, small deer, Tibetan hares.
In Russia, the main food for the snow leopard is Mountain goat , in some places also maral, roe, argali, reindeer .
With a sharp decrease in the number of wild ungulates, the snow leopard, as a rule, leaves the territory of such regions, or sometimes begins to attack livestock . IN Kashmir it occasionally attacks domestic goats, sheep, and horses . There is a recorded case of 2 snow leopards successfully hunting a 2 year old Tien Shan brown bear
Plant foods - green parts of plants, grass, etc. - are consumed by snow leopards in addition to their meat diet only in the summer .
Snow leopards hunt alone, stealthily (creeping up to the animal from behind shelters) or from ambush (watching for prey near trails, salt licks, watering holes, or hiding on rocks) .
When there are several tens of meters left to potential prey, the snow leopard jumps out of cover and jumps 6-7 meters [K 2] catches up with her quickly . If he misses, not catching his prey right away, the snow leopard pursues it at a distance of no more than 300 meters, or does not pursue it at all. . The snow leopard tries to grab large ungulates by the throat, and then strangle them or break their necks. Having killed the animal, the snow leopard drags it under a rock or other shelter, where it begins to eat it. He usually throws away the remains of his prey, and occasionally stays near it, driving it away. vultures and others scavengers. At the end of summer, autumn and early winter, snow leopards often hunt in families of 2-3 individuals, which are formed by a female with her cubs.
In hungry years, they can hunt near populated areas and attack domestic animals. . Birds are mainly caught while roosting .
Hunts goats of any age, but mainly females and young animals (which are caught mainly in early summer) .
Throughout its range, the snow leopard is the top of the food pyramid and experiences almost no competition from other predators. An adult snow leopard can eat 2-3 kg of meat at one time .
Reproduction
Data on the reproduction of the species are scarce. Sexual maturity occurs at 3-4 years of age. Estrus and breeding season occur at the end of winter or the very beginning of spring. The female usually gives birth once every 2 years. Pregnancy lasts 90-110 days. It makes its lair in the most inaccessible places. Cubs, depending on the geographical area of the range, are born in April - May or May - June. The number of cubs in a litter is usually two or three, much less often - four or five . According to other sources, the birth of 3-5 cubs in one litter is common. . Larger litters are probably possible, as there are known cases of encounters between groups of seven snow leopards . The male does not take part in raising the offspring. The cubs are born blind and helpless, but after about 6-8 days they begin to see. The weight of a newborn snow leopard is about 500 grams with a length of up to 30 cm. Newborn snow leopards are distinguished by pronounced dark pigmentation of spots, of which there are few, especially few ring ones, but there are large solid black or brownish spots on the back, as well as short longitudinal stripes on its back part . For the first 6 weeks they feed on mother's milk. By mid-summer, the kittens already accompany their mother on the hunt. Young snow leopards are finally ready for independent life in the second winter.
CAUCASIAN VIPER
Introduction
An important place in the health care system of Russians belongs to resorts that use exceptional natural resources for preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitation purposes, which ensure versatility and high efficiency of restorative treatment and rehabilitation of major diseases. In addition, they also have the ability to significantly increase a person’s health reserves, making him more resistant to various negative factors. For example, drinking mineral waters, as a means of prevention, differ significantly from others (physical activity, herbal adaptogens, pharmaceuticals, etc.) in accessibility, ease of use and ease of dosing, and the absence of side effects.
Sanatorium-resort treatment and recreational recreation are the main link in the system of treatment and preventive measures aimed at preserving and strengthening health.
The purpose of this work is to study the balneological resources of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic using the example of the Nalchik resort, prospects for the development and use of natural factors in the resort.
The goal is achieved by performing the following tasks:
Study of the natural conditions and resources of the CBD, population and labor resources, economy and economic prerequisites for the development of recreation;
Compilation of characteristics of recreational resources of the CBD and their use: natural, socio-economic, cultural and historical resources;
Consideration of the modern resort and recreational complex of the CBD;
Description of the Nalchik resort and its resource base, including medical and recreational resources, as the basis for the formation of the resort
Identification of problems and prospects for the development of the resort and recreational complex of the CBD.
The object of the study is the balneoclimatic resort of Nalchik.
The subject of the study is the balneological resources of the CBD.
The relevance of the study is explained by the increasing role of recreation in modern economy country and the growing demand of the population for recreational services.
A special place in the recreational complex of the North Caucasus is occupied by the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, which has natural resources for the development of medical, mountain sports, tourist excursion and other types of recreational activities.
General characteristics of CBD: nature, population, economy
Natural conditions and resources of the CBD
The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is located on the northern slope of the central part of the Caucasus and the adjacent plain. The capital of the republic, Nalchik, is a large cultural, scientific and industrial center, a resort city of all-Russian significance with a population of about 300 thousand people. The republic is located in the south with Georgia, in the north with the Stavropol Territory, in the east with the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, and in the west with the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia (Figure 1). The territory of the republic is 12.5 thousand square kilometers.
Figure 1 - Geographical location of the CBD
Geomorphologically, the territory of the republic can be divided into three parts: foothills, mountains and plains. Mountains cover half the area of the entire republic. The mountainous and foothill parts are rich in large mineral deposits, mineral springs, pastures and forests, and in the plains there are fertile soils. On the territory of the republic there are large deposits of molybdenum and tungsten ores, lead, tin, copper, iron ores, gold, arsenic, hard and brown coals, oil, tuff, volcanic pumice and ash, antimony, limestone, marls, phosphorites, gypsum, refractory and phloridine clays. There are more than a hundred springs with cold and hot waters. The area occupied by forest is 185 thousand hectares. The fauna is represented by a variety of animals and birds. The climate in the republic is moderate, average annual temperature The temperature is 9-10°C, and the annual precipitation is 600-700 mm. 215 days a year the temperature is above +5°C. .
The hydrographic network of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is represented by 206 rivers with a total length of 3,794 km. The rivers on the territory of the republic belong to the category of mountain rivers and their beds are subject to lateral and bottom erosion. In the mountainous part of the river flow in narrow canyons, where high speed is characteristic water flow Flowing from glaciers, mudflows carry a large amount of sediment. The largest sediments are located in the foothills, and smaller ones - in the flat part of the channel.
Superficial water bodies The republics are represented by a river network included in the Terek River basin. The largest rivers: Terek, Malka, Baksan.
The most large river- The Terek originates in North Ossetia, and within the republic its length is 76 km. All rivers of Kabardino-Balkaria are tributaries of the Terek, providing it with about 36% of the flow. The main sources of nutrition of the Terek River: tributaries, precipitation, groundwater, snow melting.
The Malka River (length 210 km) is the largest left tributary of the Terek. Food sources are mainly glaciers and tributaries. In the upper reaches of the river. Malka is a mountain river, flows through limestone and shale rocks, which explains the presence of corresponding non-technogenic impurities in the water.
The Baksan River (length 169 km) is a large right tributary of the river. Malki. At the r. Baksan has mixed nutrition: glacial, snow, precipitation, groundwater, many tributaries. Within the city of Tyrnyauz, its tributaries flow into the Baksan River - the river. Gerkhozhan-Su and r. Big Kamuk. Up to the city of Tyrnyauz, the river water is saturated with oxygen, slightly mineralized, and is characterized by a high content of copper and molybdenum.
In the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic there are more than 100 lakes with a total area of about 0.2 thousand hectares. Most of them belong to small lakes. A significant part of the lakes are located in the highlands, their formation is associated with the activity of glaciers, and lowland lakes are residual reservoirs - oxbow rivers. The main lakes of the republic: Tambukanskoye, Chirikel (Blue), Upper Blue Lake, Secret Lake, Bashkara, Shadhurey, etc. The Lower Blue Lake with a depth of 254 m is especially unique, the temperature is stable all year round - 9.3 ° C, due to the presence In a lake of hydrogen sulfide, the water has a blue color in any weather.
The territory of Kabardino-Balkaria is characterized by a wide variety of hydromineral resources: fresh, mineral and thermal waters. The potential operational resources of underground drinking water exceed the future needs for the entire republic by more than 18 times. According to calculations, the predicted operational resources of fresh groundwater in the republic without approved reserves total 5142.6 thousand m 3 /day, which proves that the republic is supplied with drinking water. The reserves of about 28 deposits of drinking groundwater, with a total balance reserve of 1040.63 thousand m3/day, have been approved and tested. The main reserves are located in the north-eastern part of the republic and are confined to the East Ciscaucasia basin of formation and block-formation pressure waters - these are 15 fields with total reserves of 896.8 thousand m3/day, where the main exploitable aquifers are The groundwater. On the territory of the Greater Caucasus basin, 13 deposits of vein-block pressure waters were found, with total reserves of 143.8 thousand m 3 /day.
The composition of groundwater is quite diverse, mineralization in none of the 28 deposits exceeds 1 g/dm 3, the content of standardized components in most cases meets the requirements of state standards, according to chemical composition hydrocarbonate, sulfate-hydrocarbonate, magnesium-sodium-calcium predominate. However, the least protected aquifers of the middle and upper Quaternary sediments are under the threat of anthropogenic pollution.
On the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, 311 subsoil users are registered, exploiting groundwater for domestic and drinking water supply. 123 subsoil users have a license for the right to use subsoil, including 27 that operate group water intakes (from 3 to 33 wells) and 96 that extract groundwater from single wells. In addition, 5 deposits have been explored on the territory of the republic for land irrigation with total balance reserves of 386.4 thousand m 3 /day. Currently the deposits are not exploited.
The total forest area in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic as of January 1, 2013 is 341.3 thousand hectares, including the forested area - 189.0 thousand hectares. The total stock of standing wood is 34.8 million m3, including ripe and overmature wood - 16.0 million m3. In terms of intermediate use of forests, in accordance with forest management materials for intermediate use fellings, timber harvesting in the liquid mass is determined in the amount of 109.0 thousand m3 and is actually represented by annual thinnings in young stands, selective sanitary fellings, renewal fellings, etc. As a result, no more than 30.0 thousand m 3 is cut down.
Since 1986, all forests of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic have been classified as group 1 forests, in accordance with Decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR dated June 4, 1986 No. 758-r. The main purpose of the republic's forests is to perform environment-forming, protective, water conservation, recreational, health and other environmental functions.
The forests of Cayuardino-Balkaria are distributed unevenly across regions. In its mountainous part, most of it is located - 65% of all forests.
Considering that the forest cover of the republic is 15.1% of the total area of the republic, main task What remains is the protection of forests from fires and forest violations, the protection of forests from pests and forest diseases, and the reproduction of forests.
Forestry on the territory of the republic is carried out by 8 forestry enterprises of the Forestry Agency for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, 3 forestry enterprises of the Kabardino-Balkarian Rural Forest Management State Institution, as well as the Elbrus National Park and the Federal State Institution Nalchik Experimental Hunting Farm.
The animal world is an integral part natural environment and biological diversity of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. For the effective protection and reproduction of fauna objects classified as hunting objects, it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive accounting of all fauna objects located in the territories of hunting farms and state reserves of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.
In connection with the adoption of Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 8, 2004 No. 754, a number of state institutions that protected, controlled and regulated the use of game animals were liquidated, including in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, and therefore the problem of restoration on territory of the entire republic of control in the field of protection, regulation of operation and reproduction of wildlife, conservation and provision of biological diversity, as well as ensuring the functioning and compliance with the special protection regime in state natural reserves of republican significance.
On the territory of the republic there are two organizations that regulate hunting: the Federal State Institution “Nalchik State Experimental Hunting Farm” and the Kabardino-Balkarian Republican Society of Hunters and Fishers. The hunting grounds of these hunting users occupy about 400.9 thousand hectares and 302.5 thousand hectares. These organizations issued 190 registered licenses in 2013, of which 183 were sold.
The activities of the hunting industry, which has significant operational reserves of animal resources, are exclusively of a sporting and amateur nature; the restrictions on shooting wild ungulates and bears established by the Government of the Republic are often not implemented, although these restrictions constitute a small part of the volume of permissible shooting, calculated according to established scientific standards. reasonable standards.
The rivers of Kabardino-Balkaria are home to 28 species of fish. There is almost no industrial fishing in the republic, despite the huge number of rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, not counting pond fish farming.
On the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, 33 specially protected natural areas different categories, for the preservation of natural landscapes, diversity of flora and fauna, protection of natural, cultural and historical heritage sites of republican and federal significance. The main ones are the high-mountainous state nature reserve with an area of 53.3 thousand hectares, the Elbrus National Park with an area of 101.2 thousand hectares - all of federal significance, as well as republican ones: 9 state natural reserves with a total area of 166.5 thousand hectares, organized for the protection and restoration of the number of wildlife objects classified as hunting objects and 22 natural monuments. The area occupied by specially protected natural sites on the territory of the republic is about 353.7 thousand hectares.
The republic is located in the southern part of the temperate climate zone. Based on the combination of heat and moisture, it is located in two climatic regions: the Ciscaucasia and the High Caucasus.
Located in relatively low latitudes (between 42° 51" and 44° 01" N) in the south of the temperate zone, the territory of the entire republic receives large volumes of solar radiation, which explains the abundance sunlight and warmth. Maximum amounts radiation arrives in May - July at the highest sun heights and day lengths.
The main climate division, located on the border of temperate and subtropical climatic zones are the Caucasus Mountains. The territory of the republic, protected from the south and southwest by the mountains of the Greater Caucasus, is open from the north and northwest to the free invasion of cold air masses from the Arctic. Relief plays a significant role in the distribution of precipitation, increasing its fall when moist air masses enter the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria.
The mountainous terrain determines the altitudinal climate zonation, which is clearly expressed in the highland region of the Central Caucasus. Starting from an altitude of about 2000 m, the dominant role in the mountains belongs to the westerly air transport.
There are 3 types of climates on the territory of the republic: high-mountain (mountainous part), temperate continental (foothill part), continental (steppe zone, north-eastern part);
On September 19, autumn begins in the republic (the average daily temperature moves through +15°C towards a decrease). The average date of the first autumn frost is October 25; the earliest date is September 26, and the latest date is November 24. On average, the number of days with fog is 24.
On the territory of the republic, precipitation is distributed extremely unevenly: in the northeast less than 300 mm falls, while on the windward slopes in the highlands more than 1000 mm falls. The distribution of precipitation is greatly influenced by the nature of the surface. The following trend is observed in the precipitation regime: most of the precipitation falls in the warm season - from April to October precipitation increases by 3-4 times compared to the cold period.
The territory of the republic is located at different altitudes above sea level: the flat part (eastern) lies at altitudes of 170 - 200 m, and the mountainous part has an altitude of 5642 m (Elbrus). On average, air pressure decreases with altitude by 10 mm for every 100 m of ascent. The average annual atmospheric pressure is 740 mm. rt. Art. The highest atmospheric pressure is observed in the east. As you move towards the west and southwest, it decreases, as a result of which the increase in height is less than 600 mm. rt. Art. in the highlands of the Greater Caucasus.
