The conservation of ecosystem and biological diversity in Alakol Biosphere Reserve (East Kazakhstan)

Abstract

Alakol Biosphere Reserve includes Alakol-Sasykkol lake system and is situated in Alakol depression. Its total area is 193 089.9 ha including water areas (529 300 ha): the core zone is 19 712,9 ha, buffer zone - 26 667 ha and transition zone - about 511 300 ha. There are 58 ecosystems in the Reserve's territory, grouped in 3 orders: terrestrial natural (35 types), aquatic (10 types) and terrestrial anthropogenically transformed (13 types) ecosystems. The largest area is occupied by terrestrial natural ecosystems (49.45%), followed by aquatic ecosystems (44.37%) and anthropogenically transformed ecosystems, which are registered for comparatively large area (13.43%). Terrestrial natural ecosystems are merely touched by human activity and occupy large spaces mainly on the territory of the core and buffer zone of Alakol Reserve, as well as Eastern and South-Eastern parts of the transition zone. Biosphere Reserve as a whole is situated in transition zone between Dzhungar and Northern-Turan desert types, and this is the cause of unique vegetation associations with peculiar floristic composition and different geographic orientation. Zonal spectrum of foothill plains is characterized by the change of ephemeroid-Artemisia deserts on sierozem soils, steppified cereal-Artemisia deserts on brown soils and genuine deserts on gray-brown soils. Central lowest part of Alakol depression is occupied by lakes surrounded by hydromorphous vegetation (meadow and marsh vegetation). The territory of biosphere reserve is located on the Central Asian - Indian bird migration route and is a wetland of world significance as waterbirds' habitat and aggregation site. The biosphere reserve reflects regional ecosystem and biological diversity and represents rich composition of flora and fauna.