Lower Amudarya State Biosphere Reserve - an oasis of wildlife.
The Lower Amudarya State Biosphere Reserve of the Republic of Karakalpakstan was created within the framework of a joint project of the government of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the UN Development Program and the Global Environmental Facility “Conservation of Tugai Forests” in 2011 on the basis of the Badai-Tugai Nature Reserve, founded in 1971.
The reserve includes a vast flat area located in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya River and the Karatau mountain range. It borders with the Gurlan district of the Khorezm region, the Beruni and Amudarya regions of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.
The area of the biosphere reserve is 68,717.8 hectares, of which 11,568.3 hectares are the protected zone, 6,731.4 hectares are the buffer zone and 50,418.1 hectares are the intermediate zone.
The protected area is a strictly protected area. This is the so-called core of the biosphere reserve, 50% of its area is occupied by tugai forests. The flora and fauna of the reserve are very rich. The forests are home to 36 species of mammals: Bactrian deer, wild boar, fox, jackal, badger, big-eared hedgehog, muskrat, jungle cat.
More than 243 species of birds, including migratory ones, such as pheasant, sparrowhawk, black kite, white-winged woodpecker, crested lark, hen harrier and others. 24 species of reptiles.
The flora of the reserve includes 419 species of plants, including fodder, medicinal, essential oil plants and others.
A buffer zone surrounds the protected area. The administrative building of the biosphere reserve is located in the settlement of “Altinsay” in the Beruni district.
The uniqueness of the tugai forest, the diversity of flora and fauna, the proximity of the Amu Darya River, the presence of a cultural heritage site - the Dzhampyk-Kala settlement create opportunities for the development of eco-tourism in the territory of the biosphere reserve.
For this purpose, several routes have been developed here for local and foreign tourists:
Route No.1. Visit to the museum at the administrative building of the biosphere reserve. Visit to an enclosure with Bactrian deer. Acquaintance with the landscape of the Amudarya River, the flora and fauna of the tugai forest, observing the Bactrian deer population in its natural habitat. The total duration of the route is 1.5-2 km.
Route No.2. Visiting the museum at the biosphere reserve, getting acquainted with the landscape of the Amu Darya River, the flora and fauna of the tugai forest. The total duration of the route is 10 - 12 km.
Route No.3. Visit to the ancient settlement of Dzhampyk Kala (IV century BC - XIV century AD). In the Middle Ages the settlement served as a port city. The walls that can be seen today were built from the 9th to the 10th centuries AD. The last stage of the existence of the settlement is considered to be the 12th-14th centuries AD.
The territory adjacent to the buffer zone is transitional. Economic activities are carried out here without damaging the ecology of the region.
In the Lower Amudarya State Biosphere Reserve of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, significant work has been carried out to preserve the population of Bactrian deer, which is listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Red Book of Uzbekistan. Bactrian deer (Cervus elaphus bactrianus) is a special pride of the reserve. The State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Ecology and Environmental Protection is doing a lot of work to preserve this beautiful animal in wildlife. The reserve currently contains the largest population of the species, increasing from 21 individuals in 1976 to approximately 1,566 individuals in 2024.
In the first half of the last century, Bactrian deer lived on the banks of the Amu Darya, Syr Darya rivers and at the Aral Sea in reed thickets and tugai forests. As a result of the drying up of the sea, reduction of water in rivers, degradation of thickets and cutting down of trees in groves, fires, and poaching, the number of Bukhara deer decreased sharply in the second half of the twentieth century. They began to disappear from their natural habitat.
In total, there are less than four thousand individuals in the wild nature, living in four countries: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The largest number of animals has been preserved in Uzbekistan, and the largest group of deer lives on the territory of the Lower Amudarya Biosphere Reserve in Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan).
In total, there are less than four thousand individuals of Bactrian deer in the wild nature, living in four countries: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The largest number of animals has been preserved in Uzbekistan, and the largest group of deer lives on the territory of the Lower Amudarya Biosphere Reserve in Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan).
The main task of the biosphere reserve is the restoration of tugai landscapes, the preservation of the unique fauna, including rare ones that are in danger of complete extinction. The protection of flora and fauna is implemented in the interests of living and future generations of people. It is our duty to preserve the species diversity and gene pool of the flora and fauna of the planet, only in this case is the further sustainable coexistence of nature and humanity on Earth is possible.
