Dagestan Nature Reserve
| Dagestan Nature Reserve | |
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Russian: Дагестанский заповедник (Also: Dagestansky) |
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IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
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Sarykum, the largest sand dune in Eurasia
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| Location | Dagestan |
| Nearest city | Makhachkala |
| Coordinates | 44°42′3″N 47°0′22″E / 44.70083°N 47.00611°ECoordinates: 44°42′3″N 47°0′22″E / 44.70083°N 47.00611°E |
| Area | 19,061 hectares (47,100 acres) |
| Established | 1987 |
| Governing body | Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Russia) |
| Website | http://www.dagzapoved.ru/ |
Dagestan Nature Reserve (Russian: Дагестанский заповедник) (also Dagestansky) is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict nature reserve) protects an area of sand dunes and ridges on the northwest coast of the Caspian Sea in the southeast of European Russia. The reserve, a wintering place for migratory birds, is the richest nature reserve in Russia in terms of the number of species - over 300 species have been recorded in the reserve, its buffer zones and subordinate reserves. The reserve is part of several "Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas" (IBAs). The Sarykum sand dune is the highest sand dune in Europe, at 262 m (860 ft). The reserve is situated in the Tarumovsky District of Dagestan.
The Dagestan Reserve sits on the northwest coast of the Caspian Sea, at the mouth of the Kuma River as it empties into Kizlyar Bay. The reserve covers the low, marshy wetlands of the Kuma delta, as well as the entirety of Kizlar Bay. Tyuleniy Island lies to the east of the reserve, 43 km (27 mi) from the coast, just outside of the bay. To the north the landscape changes to semi-desert.
The reserve includes four sectors that are disconnected from the Kizlar Bay territory:
Dagestan is located in the Caspian lowland desert ecoregion. This ecoregion covers the coastal desert - sand dunes, salt deserts, solonchaks (shors) and clay deserts (takyrs) - on the north and east shores of the Caspian Sea. Vegetation is sparse, but highly specialized with mostly halophytes (salt-tolerant plants), shrubs and semi-shrubs.
The climate of Dagestan is Humid continental climate, cool summer (Köppen climate classification (Dwb)). This climate is characterized by high variation in temperature, both daily and seasonally; with dry winters and cool summers. The strong heating of the sand on Sarykoum, the dune reaches temperatures of 55–60 °C (131–140 °F) in the summer. The average temperature in January is −1 °C (30 °F); in August it is +31 °C (88 °F) degrees. Average annual rainfall is 336 millimetres (13.2 in).
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Wikipedia