At the 30th session of the International Co-ordinating Council of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme in Palembang, the decision to create Mountainous Urals biosphere reserve in the Southern Urals was taken.
The biosphere reserve is located in Russia, in the Southern Urals, on the boundary between Europe and Asia. All natural complexes typical of the mountain-taiga region are fully represented here. Mixed coniferous and deciduous forests, mountain taiga spruce and fir forests, secondary mixed coniferous and parvifoliate forests, as well as light coniferous pine forests that are typical for the Southern Urals occupy a large area of this reserve. It also features mountain tundra, stone rivers, high-grass mountain meadows and subalpine woodland, as well as a well-developed hydrographic network of reservoirs. Many species of local flora and fauna are included in the lists of endangered species of Russia and the Chelyabinsk region. Of particular interest is the complex of endemic and relict species that inhabit the mountain tundra.
The central part of the reserve is occupied with a system of mid-mountain ridges that stretch from north to south, with pronounced altitudinal zonation. The main ones are Bolshoi Taganai and Uralsky, the latter serves as the geographical border between Europe and Asia. Most of the ridges are slightly dissected, with rocky ridges on top, elongated along the axis of the ridges. The steepness of the slopes of most ridges in their upper part is 25–35 °.
The slopes of many peaks are continuous heaps of large stone blocks, or the so-called “kurums”. These rock debris form the “rivers” at the foot of the mountains, the largest of which is the Big Stone River, around 6 kilometers long and up to 500 meters wide.
The western part of the reserve is characterized by low sag-and-swell foothills up to 850 meters high. It also includes the foothills of Mount Karandash, which is composed of the oldest rocks on Earth, 2.5–4.5 billion years old.
The territory is framed from the east with a series of sub-meridional parallel slopes, with peaks from 500 to 980 meters high that are very often alternated with tectonic depressions occupied by lakes (lakes Turgoyak, Inyshko, Serebry, Barakhtan) and heavily incised swampy river valleys. the relief has a tendency to lower from west to east, from 980 to 350 meters.
In the south, there is Lake Turgoyak, the largest in the region. the surface area of the lake is 26.4 square kilometers, the average depth is 19.1 meters, the maximum depth is 32.5 meters.
The climate of Mountainous Urals biosphere reserve is characterized by two neighboring climatic areas — the Atlantic Forest area and Continental West Siberian area. Dry and warm air from the South Asian regions also has a significant impact on the climate.
The highlands and valleys have different climates, and there are two different climatic zones in the reserve area. The first one covers the bold mountains and forests and meadows below them, and the second is observed in the valleys and lower slopes of the mountains. The distinctive feature of the weather conditions within the Taganai mountain range is their sudden change. A cold snap may occur literally in a matter of minutes, and even in June large snowfalls are common. The air temperature during the day can fluctuate within the range of a dozen degrees.
Both unique natural complexes and complexes typical of the Southern Urals are represented on the territory of the reserve. The largest area is occupied by biomes typical for the Southern Urals: coniferous and deciduous forests, mountain taiga spruce and fir forests, secondary mixed coniferous and parvifoliate forests, light coniferous pine forests. Smaller area is occupied by ecosystems characteristic of certain elements of the landscape of the Southern Urals and reflecting the landscape and geomorphological diversity in the biosphere reserve. Among them are mountain tundra, stone rivers (kurums), high-grass mountain meadows, and subalpine woodland typical for the most elevated mountainous part of the ecosystem, reflecting the specifics of the high-altitude zone.
There are also ecosystems that are linked to certain elements of the hydrographic network: raised sphagnum bogs (ryams); transitional and lowland sedge and moss-grass swamps; overmoistened parvifoliate birch, aspen and mixed forests in the lower part of the mountain slopes; floodplain forests of alder, willow, bird-cherry, and poplar, floodplain meadows; aquatic and coastal vegetation of lakes, rivers, artificial ponds and reservoirs.
Unique natural complexes that appeared due to the unique landscape, or unique geological phenomena, or specific historical factors and relict vegetation are small in size, but especially important in terms of preservation of biodiversity: petrophytous communities of rock outcrops of various mineralogical composition, mountain steppe and steppificated mountain meadow complexes, relict Pleistocene mountain larch and light-coniferous parvifoliate wooded steppe.
Specially protected natural areas that are part of Mountainous Urals biosphere reserve are rich in biological species included in the national and regional lists of endangered species, around 90 such species in total. Of these, 5 species of fungi, 42 species of plants, 22 species of insects, 3 species of fish, 3 species of amphibians, 2 species of reptiles, 6 species of birds and 5 species of mammals. The rarest representatives of the plant kingdom are several species of orchids (lady’s slipper, or Cypripedium calceolus, bird’s nest, or Neottia nidus-avis, two types of epipactis, yellow coralroot, or Corallorhiza trifida, ghost orchid, or Epipogium aphyllum, and common spotted orchid, or Dactylorhiza fuchsii), net-leaved willow, and Alpine bearberry. Relict species of carabid beetles live in the mountain tundra of Taganai, including the Ural nebria, Pterostichus urengaicus, Pterostichus kaninensis and Carabus karpinskii. Other representatives of rare insects are protected species of lepidopterans, most of which can also be attributed to the relicts of the central South Ural ridges: Boloria thore, Oeneis jutta, Lopinga Deidamia, and Erebia cyclopius. In the upper reaches of the mountain rivers of the Arshinsky reserve and Taganai Natural Park, one can find fish species such as the Ural taimen and European grayling, while brown trout lives in the Kushtumga river. Rare amphibians in the region, the Siberian salamander and the northern crested newt, settled in the shallow ponds of the Arshinsky reserve and its environs. Small owls, including the Eurasian pygmy owl and boreal owl, inhabit the old-growth forests of the reserve; occasionally one can see golden eagles, European honey buzzards and hear loud calls of scaly thrush, while white-throated dipper live near the streams and small rivers of Taganai and Arshinsky reserve. Nearby live river otters and flying squirrel, as well as several species of rare bats.
The botanical phenomenon of the highland part of the reserve, the Taganai Range, is the relict mountain tundra of various types (rocky, moss, grass-moss) that is preserved from the Ice Age. All “tundra islands” are located at an altitude of more than one thousand meters above sea level. Here you can walk on a birch or willow grove, where mushrooms can grow taller than tree crowns.
The biosphere reserve is located in the mining and industrial zone of the Chelyabinsk region. From the late 17th century, the development of this region began with the construction of ironworks. The forest industry has always had an auxiliary function. Even today, the biosphere reserve neighbors several industrial areas, including the cities of Miass, Zlatoust, Karabash, Kusa.
However, this biosphere reserve is unique because of its undisturbed natural complexes and ecosystems in its central part. Their protection is ensured by the status of large specially protected natural territories. These refer to Taganai national park, Arshinsky complex natural reserve, and Lake Torgoyak, the natural landmark. These specially protected natural territories that serve as the ecological core of the territory can be called suppliers of ecosystem services for the mining and industrial areas. It includes carbon storage, air purification, ensuring the quality and volume of water flow, as well as storing timber and non-timber products, preserving hunting and fish resources, serving as the basis for the development of recreation and educational tourism. The natural complexes of the core of the biosphere reserve are of great aesthetic value and attract not only the residents of the adjacent territories, but also visitors from more remote regions.
Due to the presence of undisturbed natural complexes and ecosystems of great aesthetic value, as well as the diversity of closely located landscapes, the territory of the biosphere reserve has vast ecological and tourist potential. Even now, Taganai National Park and Lake Turgoyak are very popular among tourists. The Chelyabinsk region is an industrial area, but tourism, including nature-oriented, has been singled out as one of its main areas of future development. Thanks to the creation of the management structure of Mountainous Urals biosphere reserve, the efforts of the municipalities and administrations of strictly protected natural territories will greatly affect the integrated development of the reserve area.
Alexey Yakovlev, Director of the Taganai National Park,
Alexander Lagunov, Director of specially protected natural areas of Chelyabink Oblast, Сandiate of Biological Sciences, Honoured Biologist of Russia