Bashkir Preserve
Bashkir Preserve
in the Bashkir ASSR, RSFSR. It is located in the central part of the Southern Urals and in the bend of the Belaia River. Area, 72,000 hectares.
The preserve was created in 1930 for the preservation and study of the typical forest and forest-steppe landscapes. The topography is that of a middle mountain region (altitude reaches 930 m), and the land in the western part is quite broken. Along the range of the Southern Urals—the Uraltau and Iuzhnyi Kraka—there are forests of pine, larch, and birch. Among the animals commonly found in the region are elk, roe, brown bear, lynx, pine marten, Siberian weasel, Russian flying squirrel, Siberian chipmunk, garden dormouse, capercaillie, hazel hen, and black cock; the maral has been acclimatized. In the bend of the Belaia River are mixed and broad-leaved (mostly linden) forests. The wild Bashkir bee is still found there. The rivers have sea trout, trout, and grayling. Kapova Cavern is located within the bounds of the preserve.
REFERENCES
Kucherov, E. V. Okhrana prirody v Bashkire. Ufa, 1958.Ivanov, V. M., and E. M. Petrov. Bashkirskii gosudarstvennyi zapovednik. Ufa, 1965.