Natural reserve  Zaamin Mountainous Forest (Juniper) Reserve The Juniper (founded in 1926) is in Djizak region in the west part of the Turkestan Ridge. The area is 10.500 ha. The sides of the mountains are covered with juniper forests and higher-with alpine meadows. The highest mountain point is 3500 metres above sea-level. Such animals as wild boars, wolves, foxes, porcupines, badgers, hares inhabit the area. There are bears and lynxes in the forest juniper belt. Subalpine zone is inhabited with more than 350 wild mountain goats. There are plenty of birds in the juniper zone: stone grouse, rose starlings, larks, kestrels, magpies, thrushes. But the most characteristic bird is the juniper grosbeak. Birds of prey are represented by the sparrow-hawk, the golden eagle, the white-head griffin, and the bearded vulture. The black stork nests in the Chantanga Gorge. There are over 700 species of plants under protection in the reserve. Chatkal Mountainous Forest Reserve The Chatkal Mountainous (founded in 1947) is on the spurs of the Chatkal Ridge of the west part of the Tien-Shan Mountains. The area is 35.000 ha. Divided by gorges, the mountains of the reserve reach high over 3.500 metres above sea-level. There are about 600 species of grasses and about 40 species of bushes in the reserve. Considerable part of the slopes is covered with natural juniper forests and with different bushes. There are birch groves along the river banks. Sea-buckthorn, walnut trees, rowan-trees, stone trees, pistachio-trees, and a large number of other species, which are endemic in the area of the west Tien-Shan Mountains, grow in the reserve. Of animals, there are wild mountain goats, bears, wild boars, foxes, marmots. The snow leopard can be found high in the mountains. Birds are represented by the stone grouse, the partridge. The area of Bashkizylsai is notable for its rock paintings and petrogliphs depicting wild animals being hunted by primitive men. Nurata Mountainous Nut-Fruit Nature Reserve The Nurata Mountainous (founded in 1975) is on the Nurata Ridge in Farish district of Djizak Region. The area is 22.500 ha. The relief of the reserve is typically mountainous (the highest point is 2100 metres above sea-level) with big and small rivers, gorges, massive rocks. There is a combined semi-desert and forest vegetation. In general, trees and bushes grow in the flood-lands of the rivers. The most spread are walnut trees, there are also wild apple-trees, plum-trees, mulberry-trees, and cherry-plums. Of animals the sheep of Severtsev is the most valuable. Wild boars, foxes, wolves, porcupines, badgers, plenty of stone grouse inhabit the reserve. The birds of prey are represented by the black griffin, the dwarf-eagle, and others. Gissar State Reserve Organised in 1983. Its area is 80986.1 hectares of which 12203 ha. are covered by forestry, 27450 ha. by meadows, and 171 is made up of reservoirs. There are 870 species of plants and about 140 species of animals inhabiting its territory. The staff of reserve equals 56 employees, of which 35 are state inspection staff, and 8 scientific employees. Gissar is located in the Kashkadarya area, on western spurs of Gissar ridge. The objective is to save natural complexes and ecosystems of the Gissar ridge. Surkhan State Reserve Consists of two independent sites: 1. Aral-Paigambar (at the moment the activity is stopped because of complex political conditions) organized in 1971, typical of valley-tugai ecosystems of Amu-Darya River. Area is 3093 hectares, 964 of them covered by wood. The reserve is created for saving typical tugai wood with its characteristic fauna. The reserve is inhabited by the Bukhara deer included in the international Red Book, the wild boar, the reed cat, the Iranian otter, and others. Of birds there are Tadjik pheasants, grey geese, Turkestan nightingale, blackbirds, Indian starlings, and others. 2. Kugitanskiy - organised in 1987, covering mountain and forest ecosystems. Area: 24583 hectares. Typical of mountain ecosystems of Kugitang ridge. On the site there more than 800 species of plants, about 290 species of birds, and more than 20 species of animals have been detected. Under special protection are the Spiral Horned Goat or Markhur (280 head), mountain sheep (36 head) and other rare species. Protection staff - 25 inspectors. Mostly the reserve is in Surkhan-Darya area and is typical of natural environments of the south of Uzbekistan. Kyzylkum State Reserve Organized in 1971, in Bukhara area. Area of reserve is 10141 hectares, of which 6964 hectares in sand zone and 3177 hectares is in the Amu-darya's flood lands. Special attention should be paid to the Bukharan Deer - number of which has grown since 1971 (20 head) up to 200 head. Protection - 10 inspectors. Baday-Tugai State Reserve Organised in 1971 in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Area - 6462 hectares. Located downstream on the right bank of the Amu-Darya River on territory of Beruni and Kegelli districts. The reserve was created with the purpose of saving tugai woods and fauna in conditions of regulated drain of the Amu-Darya river. Tugai forests take over 70% of its area. Fauna is represented by: more than 91 species of birds, 15 species of mammals, 15 species of fishes. In 1975, 3 heads of Bukhara rare deer were brought to the reserve, and in 1995 their number reached 18, of which 6 in 1996 were moved to Zerafshan reserve and some exotic animals like hyenas, wild sheep, bald badger, porcupine and some rare birds like Egypt vulture and white head owl. Zerafshan State Reserve Organized in 1975 in Samarkand region. Area: 2352 hectares, 868 of them covered by wood, 725 not covered by wood. The Reserve is a narrow strip stretching along the Zerafshan River for as long as 45 km. Objective of reserve is the protection and restoring of tugai ecosystem and in particular saving of sea-buckthorn and population of rare subspecies of Zerafshan pheasant, the number of which in 1995 has reached 4000. Protection staff - 8 inspectors.