Shorsky National Park, Russia

Shorsky National Park is a national park in the south of the Kemerovo region. It was organized in 1990 on the basis of the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR dated December 27, 1989 No. 386 "On the creation of the Shorsk State Natural National Park in the Kemerovo Region."

Shorsky National Park is located in the Tashtagol administrative region. The length of the territory of the national park from north to south is 110 km, from east to west 90 km. The administration of the national park is located in the city of Tashtagol.

Postal address: 652990, Kemerovo region, Tashtagol, st. Sadovaya 8.

According to the forest inventory in 2000, the area of ​​the park is 413843 hectares. The national park includes 5 forest districts.

Part of the Association of Nature Reserves and National Parks of the Altai-Sayan Ecological Region

 

Description of the territory

Natural area: mountain taiga
Relief: The relief of the territory of the Shorsky national park is a complex mountain system highly dissected by river valleys. The average height above sea level is 500-800 m, some peaks reach 1600-1800 m (including Kubez -1555 m and Lysukha -1648 m).

Climate: The climate is sharply continental and harsh, due to the location of the park almost in the center of the Asian continent. High ridges enclosing Gornaya Shoria from the west with the Salair ridge, from the south with the Altai mountain system and from the east with the ridges of the Kuznetsk Alatau and Western Sayan Mountains, create a kind of climatic regime. The average temperature in January is -20-22 ° С, in July - + 17-18 ° С. In the mountains, average temperatures drop sharply with height. The average annual precipitation is 900 mm, in the mountains on the windward slopes up to 1500-1800 mm. Snow lasts more than half a year, from October to April. The depth of the snow cover reaches 200-250 cm, in the depressions of the middle mountains - more than 400 cm. The winds of the southern and southwestern directions prevail.

Water bodies: The territory of the national park is dissected by a network of rivers and streams. The main waterway is the Mras-Su River, which flows through the main massif of the park from north to south and dividing its territory into approximately two equal parts. The water regime is typical for mountain rivers. The main sources of water for rivers and streams are precipitation and groundwater.

Soils: The predominant soil types are sod-podzolic and, to a lesser extent, podzolic soils. Sod-podzolic soils are distributed mainly in the lower part of the taiga belt, and podzolic soils - in its upper part. All named soils are quite favorable for the growth of woody vegetation on them.

Biological diversity
Number of registered species:
lymphoids - 4
ferniform - 16
gymnosperms - 6
angiosperms - 483
fish - 14
amphibians - 2
reptiles - 6
birds - 182
mammals - 62

 

Flora and vegetation: The vegetation cover of the park is dominated by black taiga. Forests are represented by mountain types of communities. Communities with Siberian pine and Siberian fir predominate. Spruce, pine, downy birch, and aspen are much less common. In the age structure, the most significant share of middle-aged and ripening stands. The proportion of mature plantations is only about one fifth of the forested land. The most widespread are large-grass and wide-grass types of forest communities. The share of moss and shrub-forb types of forest with bird cherry and mountain ash in the undergrowth is less significant, and in the herbaceous cover with female kochedyzhnik, bracken, northern wrestler, tall larkspur, and forest bush. The share of other forest types is insignificant. In the forests of the mid-mountainous part of Shorsky park, the unique and rich flora of the mountains of South Siberia is preserved. Its botanical attractions are such rare plant species as Siberian kandyk, large-flowered lady's slipper, real lady's slipper, rosea rhodiola.

Fauna and fauna: The theriofauna of the national park has many game-hunting species: white hare, squirrel, sable, American mink, Siberian weasel, otter, wolverine, fox, wolf, lynx, elk. In addition to the listed species, there are the Siberian mole, chipmunk, water vole, muskrat, common hamster, ermine, weasel, steppe polecat, badger, brown bear, wild reindeer, musk deer, roe deer, and red deer. Among the representatives of the avifauna, many are the subject of hunting: common mallard, broad-legged duck, pintail, gray duck, teal-cracker, teal-whistle, red-headed duck, capercaillie, hazel grouses, black grouse, quail, corncrake, woodcock, snipe, snipe, hornet, etc. Rare bird species in the park are the black stork, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, osprey. Grayling, lenok, taimen are found in the rivers.

Tourism and rest
Shoria in summer is rafting, hiking and horseback riding, climbing mountain peaks and descending into caves. The mid-mountain relief and the air of coniferous forests filled with phytoncides have a beneficial effect on the human body, increasing its protective functions. Tourist routes of Gornaya Shoria do not require special training and are available to everyone.

Tourist routes of the Shorsky national park:
Mrassu - Ust-Kabyrza. Water. 110 km
Ust-Kabyrza. Water. 70 km
Sosnovka - Tashtagol. Combined. 40 km
Tashtagol - Kabuk. Automotive (in summer). 90 km

Near the national park there are such recreationally valuable objects as the mountain skiing center - Mount Mustag, the "pearl of Gornaya Shoria" - Mount Kul-Taiga with a mountain lake on its top, the ethnographic open-air museum "Tazgol", the valley of the Mras river, waterfalls, etc.

 

Natural and cultural heritage
There are 25 natural monuments on the territory of the Shor National Park, of which 6 are the most accessible and visited:
Saga waterfall is a hydrological natural monument;
"Kizas Caves" - a geological natural monument;
Cave "Nadezhda" - a geological natural monument;
"Monument to a Soldier" - a geological natural monument;
Rock "Drinking Elephant" - a geological natural monument;
Vaucluse "Kabukskiy" is a hydrological natural monument.