OF TAJIKISTAN
6. TIGROVAYA BALKA
"Tigrovaya Balka" (in English, Tiger Valley) is located in the South-Tajikistan physiogeo-graphic region, to the north of the confluence of the Vakhsh and Pyndzh Rivers. Its config-uration is elongated from the southwest to the northeast. The reserve's territory encompass-es flood plain riparian woodlands along both shores of the lower flow of the Vakhsh River.
Along the river's left bank, the sandy massif of the Kashkakum Desert and Buratau Mountain stretches from north to south. The southern spurs of the Aruktau Range, the Khodzha-Kaziyon Mountains, enter the reserve's territo-ry along the right bank of the Vakhsh River.
Administratively, the section of the reserve that is on the river's right bank is part of the Kabodiayo District, while the left bank is part of the Djilikul and Kumsangir Districts of the Khatlon Province.
The reserve is located in a square between 680 and 690E and 36040' - 37020' N. A one-kilome-ter-wide buffer zone runs along the northern border of "Tigrovaya Balka" between the reserve and farmland.
The total area of the nominated territory is 49,786 hectares.
Statement of Significance
"Tigrovaya Balka" SSNR (zapovednk) is the last large reserve on the planet that preserves the natural unique communities of Tugai (Central Asian riparian floodplain forests) flora and fauna.
The largest Tugai forest massif in Central Asia is preserved In "Tigrovaya Balka." Grey-blue poplar (Populus pruinosa Schrenk), which are found in communities with oleaster - Russian olive (Elaesgnus angustifolia L.), saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb.) and others, occupy the reserve's fold-plain and upper-flood plain river terraces. This poplar is a relict of Tertiary hygrophilous formations of an East-Asian Paleocene-type of Asiatic poplar, which was preserved in river valleys among deserts during the post-Tertiary aridization.
In addition to preserving essentially relict ecosystems, the reserve also preserves many animal species that are included in the International Red Book of IUCN and the Red Data Book of the former USSR. These are: the desert monitor, Central Asia cobra, black stork, serpent eagle, osprey, barbary falcon, houbara bustard, marbled polecat, Central Asian otter, striped hyena, barbary leopard, red sheep, goitered gazelle, Bukhara red deer, and Turgan tiger (extinct since 1958).
Among the republic's rare and threatened species that are encountered in the reserve are:
Fish: small amudarja shovelnose sturgeon, large amudarja shovelnose sturgeon, pike asp, Aral barbel, and Turkestan barbel. Forty-fifty years ago, the Aral pike spawned here, but no longer does now;
Reptiles: Central Asian tortoise, several species of geckos, lizards, snake eye lizards, tartar sand boa, saw-scaled viper, blunt-nosed viper, and others;
Birds: white stork, stone curlew, pin-tailed sand grouse, white-headed duck, Egyptian vulture, griffon vulture, and others;
Mammals: pygmy white-toothed shrew, weasel, jungle cat, Indian porcupine, long-clawed ground squirrel, and others;
"Tigrovaya Balka" SSNR (zapovednk) is the only place in Tajikistan where it is still possi-ble to encounter the Bukhara red deer (Cervus elaphus bactrianus) in its natural habitats. The last traces of the Turan tiger's presence in Tajikistan were identified here in "Tigrovaya Balka" SSNR (zapovednik) in 1954-58.
The reserve provides habitat to more than 60 species of rare and threatened vertebrate species of Tajikistan and Central Asia.
Tigrovaya Balka Lakes are wintering areas for more than fifty species of waterfowl, near-shore and fish-eating birds. They fly here
from northern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (partly) and Western Siberia. These include: little cor-morant, greater corcor-morant, purple heron, com-mon heron, egret, osprey, gulls, terns, grebes, sever species of sandpiper, and others.
Criteria for inscribing the property on UNESCO's World Heritage List
N (ii) - Offers a sense for important ecologi-cal and biologiecologi-cal processes in the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems.
The Tugai forest that has been preserved in
"Tigrovaya Balka" SSNR (zapovednk) is ascribed to forests that develop in the flood-plains of rivers in southern, warm, and dry regions in Central Asia. They are composed of moisture- and warmth loving aestival salt-tolerant tree species and shrubs: grey-blue poplar (Populus pruinosa), oleaster - Russian olive (Elaesgnus angustifolia), different species of tamarix (Tamarixr ramosissima), and others.
N (iv) - Contains natural habitat that is most representative and important for the conserva-tion of biological diversity, including endan-gered species.
It is the largest massif of Tugai forest pre-served in Central Asia. Animals, which have been characterized as rare across their entire natural range, and which IUCN has declared as species threatened with extinction, inhabit the reserve. These include: barbary leopard, goi-tered gazelle, and Bukhara red deer. Also inhabiting the reserve are animals that have been listed in the Red Data Book of the USSR:desert monitor, Central Asian cobra, black stork, serpent eagle, osprey, barbary fal-con, houbara bustard, marbled polecat, Central Asian otter, striped hyena, and red sheep.
Brief description of the site
The majority of the territory of "Tigrovaya Balka" SSNR (zapovednk) is located on river terraces. These terraces were formed in two phases. During the first phase, right up to the mid-Quaternary Period, a decrease in the base erosion of the Vakhsh River took place;
during this period 3-6 terraces were formed.
By the end of the mid-Quaternary period, the
base erosion of the Vakhsh River sharply increased. Thus, the second and first river terraces became inserted in a hollow, and developed in the accumulated sediments of the third terrace. The second terrace in the Vakhsh River Delta rises up to 7 - 8 meters above sea level (up to 3 - 4 meters above the first terrace). This terrace does not have any sources of moisture other than atmospheric sources, and ground water feeding. It is covered with desert and salt vegetation (the environs of the Kara-Dum Massif and Kashkakum Sands are Aeolian hummocky sands). The first river terrace has a more complex relief and is divided into several (up to 5) floodplain terraces, which range in height from 0.5 to 3 - 4 meters above the level of the river. The primary vegetation complex of Tugai forests and thickets, which are protect-ed by the reserve, are locatprotect-ed here. In the lower reaches of the Vakhsh River, there are many (almost 40) lakes and oxbow lakes.
The reserve's climate is sharp continental, arid, and characterized as the warmest in the republic. The average annual air temperature is + 14 +17° C. The temperature of the cold-est month, January, is + 2 - 0° C, while the temperature of the hottest month, July, is +28 +32° C. The maximum air temperature in July sometimes reaches + 46 +48° C. The duration of the non-frost period is 250 - 310 days, while the average air temperature exceeds + 10° C for 200 - 250 days. The annual quantity of pre-cipitation usually does not exceed 200 mm, and relative humidity ranges from 40 - 25%.
The hydrological network of "Tigrovaya Balka"
is comprised of the Pyandzh and Vakhsh Rivers and their tributaries. In the past, flood-ing occurred durflood-ing the summer, in July and August, when snow and glaciers intensively melted in the mountains. The last large floods of the Vakhsh River were observed (in the reserve) in 1956, 1958, and 1959. Presently, the Vakhsh River's drainage is regulated by hydrotechnic equipment, the Nurek and Baoipazin Hydroelectric Stations. There are no chances for a restoration of spring and summer flood as they are prevented by a system of dams and hydrological constructions -although they are needed for normal
develop-ment of the riparian forests, which are recently supported by surface and under-ground drainage alone.
The reserve's tree vegetation is presented by poplar (Populus pruinosa), oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia), and poplar-oleaster communities.
Halophytic shrub communities (Tamarix hispi-da and others) develop on the reserve's saltier soils that have a relatively close deposition of ground water. Desert vegetation is encoun-tered in the reserve in the bounds of the Kashkakum Sandy Massif.
In "Tigrovaya Balka" SSNR (zapovednk), 45 mammal species are registered. Among them, the following are included in the IUCN Red Book: barbary leopard, goitered gazelle, Bukhara red deer, and Turan tiger (extinct).
The aforementioned species and the following are listed in the Red Data Book of Tajikistan:
weasel, marbled polecat, Central Asian otter, striped hyena, and red sheep. "Tigrovaya Balka" SSNR (zapovednk) was named in honor of the Turan tiger, the last traces of which were identified in 1954 by zoologist A.V.
Popov in the Vakhsh River Valley, in the area of its confluence with the Pyndzh River. In the reserve, more than 160 bird species nest, win-ter, and are encountered during migration.
Seventeen species that are rare and threat-ened with extinction, and which are listed in the Red Data Book of Tajikistan, are encoun-tered in the reserve. The reserve's herpeto-fauna is rich, and together with including dom-inant species, includes 21 rare species.
Location and General Information
The nominated territory is located in the south-west of Turkmenistan, and includes ecosystems of the Western Kopetdag and neighboring plain territories. The territory occupies both slopes if the Syut-Khasardag Mountain Range, the canyon of the Aidere Ravine, and the northern slope of the Palyzan Range. The units are located 50 km from each other and occupy about 2% of the territory of the Western Kopetdag.
Administratively, the territory belongs to Balkan Velayat (region).
The proposed nomination includes several specially protected nature areas:
1. Syut-Khasardag SSNR (zapovednk) (26,461 hectares): Central unit (13,400 hectares), Aiderin Unit (3,600 hectares), Chendyr Unit (9,5 00 hectares)
2. Syut-Khasardag SSPR (sanctuary) (3,800 hectares)
The total area of the nominated object is 30,261 hectares. Its coordinates are 38004'17"
- 38033'10" N; 56015'12"- 56058' 30" E.
Furthermore, the nomination includes the Turkmen Experimental Station for Plant Genetic Resources, which is located in the Sumbar Valley and in Garrygala settlement.
Statement of Significance
Syut-Khasardag SSNR (zapovednik) was established in 1978 with the goal of protecting and restoring the ecosystems of the Western Kopetdaga and surrounding plain territories with the sum total of their components, as well as the genetic fund of flora and fauna; and with the goal of developing scientific founda-tions for nature conservation in this region.
In 1990, Syut-Khasardag SSPR (sanctuary) was separated from the Central Unit of Syut-Khasardag SSNR (zapovednik)) with the goal of improving socio-economic conditions for people living in the Garrygalin District.
Existence of the Syut-Khasardag SSNR (zapovednik) along the Sumbar River Basin facilitates the preservation of the priceless gene fund of wild fruit-bearing, fodder, medic-inal, and decorative plants of Western Kopetdag. It also partially resolves the water problem of the Sumbar Valley. In addition, it is a reserve for the restoration of fauna and the reproduction of animal species of special importance, such as snakes, which provide venom for medicinal purposes.
Academician N.I. Vavilov researched the wealth of flora in South-Western Kopetdag and concluded that this dry sub-tropical region is one of the world's centers of origin for wild ancestors of cultivated plants (The Central-Asian center was determined by N.I. Vavilov as one of the world's seven centers). In particu-lar, the Western Kopetdag is a primary center for the growth of wild species forms and for the formation of highly valuable forms of wild fruet terrs species of the dry sub-tropic zone.
Turkmen Experimental Station for Plant Genetic Resources was established upon the initiative of N.I. Vavilov in the late 1920s for the collection, systematization, and preservation of diverse forms of wild fruit- and walnut-bear-ing plants. Growwalnut-bear-ing here together with low-productive, purely wild forms, is a significant number of valuable forms that are nearly indis-cernible from the best global sort standards.
This places the Sumbar Valley among the world's rarest natural nurseries for sub-tropi-cal cultivated plants.
Criteria for inscribing the property on UNESCO's World Heritage List
N(ii)- Provides a sense for the long process of evolution of unique animal and plant com-munities.
The remnants of ancient, pre-Caspian broad-leafed forests are preserved on the site. The region is one of the world's centers of origin