Colchis National Park ( Georgian კოლხეთის ეროვნული პარკი ) is a national park of Georgia located in the west of the country in the Colchis Lowland . The park covers coastal areas in the east of the Black Sea and the basin of Lake Paleostomy . Created in 1998, included the territory of the Colchis Reserve [2] .
| Colchis National Park | |
|---|---|
| cargo. კოლხეთის ეროვნული პარკი | |
| IUCN Category - | |
| basic information | |
| Square | 446 km² [1] |
| Established | 1998 year |
| Location | |
| A country |
|
| Nearest town | Poti |
Composition
The national park is located in five municipalities of Georgia: Zugdidi , Khobsky , Senaksky , Abashsky and Lanchkhutsky - and is administratively divided into five districts. The total area of the protected area is 446 km² [1] . There is a visit center and a hotel in the park, tourist walks along trails and ponds are conducted, and sport fishing and ecotourism services are provided [2] .
Geography
The park includes Colchis bogs, which are the remnants of a relict tropical and subtropical ecosystem that existed in Eurasia 10 million years ago. Lake Paleostomy is an estuary up to 3 m deep , separated from the Black Sea by sand dunes and desalinated by the waters of the Pichori River [3] .
Flora
The plant diversity of the Colchis National Park is determined by three different ecosystems represented on its territory: swamps, sand dunes and bodies of water. Due to the unique origin of the park, it has representatives of the flora that are not found elsewhere in Georgia. These include three types of peat moss, sundew, round-leaved , sedge hairy . Among other representatives of the flora, alder , lapin , Imereti oak, Hartvis oak , Colchis ivy are found in humid forests, sea buckthorn and hold-tree on the dunes [3] .
The following species are included in the “Red Book of Georgia” [3] :
- Hartvis Oak (Quercus hartwissiana)
- Lapin winged (Pterocarya pterocarpa)
- Boxwood Colchis (Buxus colchica)
- Common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
- Georgian Oak (Quercus iberica)
- Black alder (Alnus barbata)
- The yellow sack is
- Pancratium maritime (Pancratium maritimum)
Fauna
The fauna of the national park is no less diverse and unique. In the park there are wintering places for some migratory birds, for most birds it is an intermediate stop. Woodcock , curlew , crested blacken , white-fronted goose , whooper swan , mute swan , curly pelican , great spotted eagle , Colchis pheasant live in the park. Mammals are represented by a jackal , wild boar , roe deer , otter . Among reptiles there are a marsh turtle , newts, aquatic , Caspian snake . Tree frog lives in the park. 16 species of mammals are endemic for the park, including Eastern European hedgehog , Caucasian mole and several species of bats [3] .
Lake Paleastomi is an ideal place for various types of fish. 88 species live here, including stellate sturgeon , pink salmon , herring , mullet , pike , and mackerel . Marine mammals are represented by bottlenose dolphins , common dolphins, and porpoises [3] .
The “Red Book of Georgia” includes 6 species of animals living in the park [3] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Official Record for Kolkheti . Protected Planet. Date of treatment May 12, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 Colchis National Park . Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia. Date of treatment May 12, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Biodiversity of the Kolkheti National Park . Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia. Date of treatment May 12, 2015.