Köýtendag Nature Reserve

Köýtendag Nature Reserve
Location	Köýtendag District Lebap Province,  Turkmenistan
Coordinates	37°48′N 66°30′E / 37.800°N 66.500°E / 37.800; 66.500Coordinates: 37°48′N 66°30′E / 37.800°N 66.500°E / 37.800; 66.500
Area	271.4 km²
Established	1986

Köýtendag Nature Reserve, formerly Kugitang Nature Reserve, is a nature reserve (zapovednik) in the extreme east of Turkmenistan.

Established in 1986, it is located in the Köýtendag Range of Lebap Province and covers an area of 271.4 km². The reserve is home for the rare Heptner's markhor (Capra falconeri heptneri).^[1] It spreads in the middle and upper mountain belt at an altitude of 900–3139 meters above sea level. The main feature of Koytendag are cave complexes ( more than 300 caves )^[2] that are unique in Eurasia and the diversity of geological processes that formed them and the beauty of geological phenomena.^[3]

It also incorporates four sanctuaries:

• Garlyk Sanctuary - established in 1986.
• Hojapil Sanctuary - established in 1986.
• Hojaburjybelent Sanctuary - established in 1986.
• Hojagarawul Sanctuary - established in 1999.

This place is also one of the 50 important areas for birds and biodiversity in Turkmenistan.^[4]

References[]

• National Program for the Protection of the Environment, Ashgabat, 2002, pp. 149–151 (in Russian)

External links[]

• https://web.archive.org/web/20090609072344/http://natureprotection.gov.tm/reserve_tm.html

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