The Uvs Nuur or Ubsunur Hollow State Natural Biosphere Reserve is
located within the Erzinsky, Tes-Khemsky and Mongun-Taiginsky
regions of the Republic of Tyva. It was organized in 1993 on five
cluster sites, the number of which has now increased to nine, and
the total area has been significantly increased. With an initial
territory of 39.6 thousand hectares, it occupies 323,198.4 hectares,
including cluster plots: Kara-Khol - 122,451 hectares, Khan-Deer -
112,917.4 hectares, Oruku-Shynaa - 28,750 hectares, Ular - 18,000
ha, Mongun-Taiga -15890 ha, Aryskannyg - 15000 ha, Tsugeer-Els -
4900 ha, Ubsu-Nur - 4490 ha, Yamaalyg - 800 ha.
The Ubsunur
basin is one of the unique places in Inner Asia, where nature has
created an exceptional phenomenon - a kind of “parade of landscapes”
characterized by extraordinary diversity. Located on the border of
Mongolia and Tuva, enclosed by mountains, with a large salt lake
Ubsu-Nur at its bottom and rivers running down to the center from
mountain ranges, the Ubsunur basin is an amazing combination of
ecosystems representing almost all natural zones of the temperate
zone of the Earth and almost three quarters of ecosystem diversity
of the extratropical part of Eurasia. This makes it a kind of model
of the world - a "small biosphere" that lives according to the same
laws as the entire biosphere of the planet.
Imagine a
dazzling sun in the boundless blue sky, a desert with high golden
dunes approaching the very shores of a blue lake, reed beds that
give shelter to thousands of birds, and nearby, a little higher, on
the foothill plains, dry steppes filled with the aroma of wormwood
with the ringing of mares, with countless gophers, tarbagans,
haystacks scurrying among their holes, with caravans of camels
stepping sedately past ancient mounds and bizarre rocks scattered
across the wide expanses of the plains. Imagine the ridges of
mountains that close the horizon, over which there are white clouds,
mountain slopes overgrown with light-coniferous larch taiga, in
which shy deer live and bears roam, flat peaks covered with a dim
carpet of spacious tundra, and even higher - bald mountains and
snowy highlands, where they take the beginning of mountain streams
and free winds roam.
Perhaps it was here that the old Tuvan
legend about the gullible camel was born. He stands at the edge of
the taiga and looks for a long time in the steppe for a horse, to
which he has loaned his magnificent tail to drive away annoying
flies, then he looks into the forest, trying to see more often a
deer, to which he has attached his luxurious branched horns for the
time of his marriage ... The desert, steppe, taiga with their
typical inhabitants coexist here, in the Ubsunur hollow, so close
that contacts between them are inevitable. This gives scientists a
rare opportunity to study at once almost the entire set of
landscapes of various natural zones of the Earth and the
transitional territories (ecotones) between them with their
characteristic flora and fauna.
In the Uvs Nuur basin,
already in ancient times, a special “biospheric” way of life,
typical of Central Asia and preserved to this day, based on pasture
cattle breeding, was established. For thousands of years, herds of
sheep roamed the steppe, and the smoke of the hearths of peaceful
nomads rose to the sky. At other times the steppe hummed under the
hooves of warlike hordes, and clouds of arrows eclipsed the sun.
This land was the scene of great movements of peoples: Scythians,
Huns, Turks, Mongols - all left a memory of themselves here. That is
why ancient burial grounds, mounds and memorial stones have become
an indispensable element of the local landscape.
It is the
unique combination of the richest variety of landscapes and
countless (mostly unexplored) archaeological sites that allows us to
consider the Ubsunur basin as a valuable natural monument, as well
as an outstanding monument of historical and cultural significance.
To preserve and study it, the Ubsunur International Center for
Biosphere Research was established in Kyzyl in 1992 under the
auspices of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
and the government of the Republic of Tyva. At the same time, a
common decision was made between Russia (Republic of Tyva) and
Mongolia to form an international cluster-type reserve in the basin
of Lake Ubsu-Nur. The foundation for the scientific study of the
landscapes of the basin was the research that was launched in 1984
by the Soviet-Mongolian (and now international) “Ubsu-Nur
Experiment”, in which dozens of scientists from research institutes
and universities of the USSR, Mongolia and other countries took
part.
Professor V.V. Bugrovsky, who attracted to them
significant scientific forces and the attention of a number of
leading scientists. Under the leadership of the Vice-President of
the Russian Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the Council on
Biosphere Problems Academician A.L. Yanshin (1913-1999), meetings of
competent specialists - geographers, ecologists, biologists, experts
in remote space methods for studying the Earth's surface -
repeatedly met to discuss the problems of studying the Uvs Nuur
basin.
However, despite the wide public recognition of the
relevance of such research, as well as the creation of the Ubsunur
International Center in Kyzyl, supported by the Siberian Branch of
the Russian Academy of Sciences, research was difficult to develop,
since they did not have a solid support base in place. Despite the
mutual desire of Russia and Mongolia to create an international
cluster-type reserve in the Ubsu-Nur lake basin, this was impossible
due to the lack of a legal status for such reserves. The Ubsunur
Center also did not have the legal basis necessary in this case,
there was no material and technical base, no scientific strongholds
were built, and the unique landscapes of the basin were not
protected. All this hindered the development of research and
environmental work. This period of "instability" dragged on for
almost 10 years.
A way out was found by Academician E.E.
Syroechkovsky, who suggested V.V. Bugrovsky to create an ordinary
Russian state natural reserve in the Ubsunur basin, and then
transform it into a biosphere reserve (reserve), included in the
UNESCO system. At the same time, similar work should be carried out
on the Mongolian side. This path practically solved the problem of
organizing an international transboundary nature reserve under the
auspices of UNESCO. HER. Syroechkovsky, who had extensive experience
in organizing state biosphere reserves in Russia, proposed specific
ways to solve the problem, and V.V. Bugrovsky and his associates
energetically took up its implementation. Comprehensive studies in
the Ubsunur depression continued, the results of many of them were
published (see references). All the authors of this essay and many
other Russian and Mongolian specialists took part in them. In
particular, E.E. Syroechkovsky and E.V. Rogacheva, who worked on the
territory of Tuva and adjacent regions of Mongolia, starting from
the 1960s, repeatedly visited the Ubsunur depression until 1998,
continuing to lobby for the creation of the reserve.
By the
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated January 24,
1993, a state nature reserve with a total area of 39,640 hectares
was created on the territory of the Ubsunur Hollow with five
separate clusters - Tsugeer-Els, Yamaalyg, Ular, Mongun-Taiga and
Aryskannyg. In 1997, the reserve "Ubsunur Hollow" was included in
the network of world biosphere reserves and, by the decision of the
UNESCO Coordinating Bureau, it was given the status of a biosphere
reserve. While preparations were underway for the publication of
this volume of the “Reserves of Russia” series, the Decree of the
Government of the Russian Federation of April 21, 2000 decided to
expand the territory of the reserve and allocate four more cluster
plots with an area of 283,558.4 hectares. As a result, almost all
natural and biological diversity of the unique Ubsunur basin and
adjacent mountains is represented by the cluster system of the
reserve. In terms of nature, the new areas, like the entire basin,
are distinguished by exceptional diversity and richness. Here are
ecosystems of swampy meadows and marshes, steppes and deserts,
mountain forests and eternal snows, lakes and small rivers.
On the territory of Mongolia in 1994, the reserve "Ubsunur basin"
was created, which also has several cluster sites. So, in essence,
the Ubsunur hollow is a transboundary protected area, an example of
the creation and functioning of an international reserve. Quite
timely, an international scientific center was established at the
reserve to coordinate comprehensive research. Joint research
activities and conservation efforts by scientists, state and public
organizations of Russia and Mongolia will certainly contribute to
the preservation of the unique landscapes of the basin for present
and future generations (Global change and UVS Nuur, 1999). At
present, the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Reserve is expected to be
included in the World Heritage List.
The Uvs Nuur Hollow
State Natural Biosphere Reserve has its own symbolism - a flag, a
pennant and an emblem. On the flag, the blue stripe symbolizes the
sky with the sun and red rays, the green and blue stripes represent
the green surface of the Earth and the blue color of the water. The
emblem of the reserve is a circle in which the symbol of infinity is
depicted, denoting the source of life with opposites “yin” and
“yang” and stripes spiraling away from it, reflecting the diversity
of the landscapes of the Ubsunur basin: the yellow-brown stripe
symbolizes steppe and desert, green - taiga, blue-violet - tundra,
blue mountains with white glacier peaks - highlands. On the pennant,
in addition to the emblem and inscriptions, the silhouette of a deer
is depicted.