Mekletinsky Reserve

The reserve is located in the eastern part of the Caspian lowland on the territory of the Chernozemsky district of the Republic of Kalmykia .

The relief of the reserve is a slightly wavy plain, which has a slight slope to the east and is elevated by about 20 m above the level of the Caspian Sea . Drying saline lakes - “sagas” are located in closed depressions, of which the largest is Lake Koltan-Nur . In the northern and northeastern parts of the reserve there are significant arrays of digested sand. The main relief-forming factor is wind erosion ^[2] .

The climate is arid, the annual rainfall is about 300 mm. The maximum air temperature in July reaches +42 ° C, the minimum - in January −33 ° C. The prevailing winds are east and west. The snow depth in the reserve in some places reaches 30-35 cm ^[2] .

The soils in the reserve are brown semi-desert of varying degrees of solonetzic. The humus horizon has a thickness of 10–15 cm. The intrazonal soil type is widely represented — solonetzes , confined to closed relief depressions ^[2] .

The Mekletinsky Nature Reserve was created in connection with the design of the Volga-Chograi Canal, the zone of which was to undergo intensive anthropogenic transformation in order to preserve the unique European saiga population , as well as animals listed in the Red Book of the RSFSR.

The main objectives of the reserve are ^[3] :

1. preservation, restoration and reproduction of objects of the animal world and maintaining the ecological balance;
2. conservation of habitat and migration paths of wildlife;
3. scientific research;
4. environmental monitoring;
5. environmental education.

The main type of vegetation is wormwood-turf-grass-steppes. They are dominated by two types of communities: perennial xerophytic cereals ( feather grass , fescue , fine-footed , wheatgrass ) and shrubs ( wormwood , chamomile , ephedra ). The forest fund is represented by shrubs bordering the shores of drying lakes and planted to fix the sands ( dzhuzkuzgan , tamariks , etc.) ^[2] .

The reserve serves as the birthplace of young saigas , the nesting of rare species of birds - belladonna , red -crowned crane , steppe eagle , steppe eagle . Through the territory pass the path of mass passage of bustard and bustard . In summer, rare species of birds migrating past saiga herds — vulture , griffon vulture , golden eagle ^[4] .

An increased disturbance factor is created by the Yashkul - Komsomolsky - Artesian highway passing through the territory of the reserve, as well as dirt roads. Negative factors include grazing, being in the steppe with flocks of people and dogs, shepherd sites and poaching ^[1] .

• Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation dated 03.11.2009 No. 361 “On approval of the regulation on the state natural reserve of federal significance“ Mekletinsky ””