RED BOOK: KGZ04 Key Biodiversity Area Kasan-Sai

Common vulture [Neophron percnopterus]

Description: Medium sized predatory bird. All plumage is white (in some places, mainly on the head and neck - yellow), flight feathers are black. A large wedge-shaped tail and a bare "face" covered with yellow skin are also characteristic. Young are brown. The transition from brown to adult attire occurs gradually over several years. Weight 1.8-2.5 kg, length 60-75, wing 48.0-52.0, wingspan 155-180 cm.

Biological features: The vulture is a rare bird. Inhabits desert uplifts, steep banks of desert rivers. The vulture builds its nest in rock niches, small caves or on rock ledges; the nest is built from dry branches, the tray is lined with hair, pieces of sheep's wool, rags and feathers. Clutch of 1-3 (usually 2) eggs occurs in late April - May. Both parents incubate and feed the chicks, which fledge in July - August.

Food: Mostly carrion and garbage, excrement. They often keep near pastures, dumps, etc.
In the nest of a vulture, near cities and towns in Turkestan, were found: the hind leg of a hare, the leg of a corsac, tufts of wool, large varan and an agama. In Turkmenistan - mainly shields of turtles, in a nest in the northwestern Caucasus - bones, rotten meat, the remains of a snake; carrion was found in the stomachs (Caucasus, Central Asia, etc.). From the previous one it can be seen that the vulture also feeds on live prey (reptiles). Vultures willingly drink water and flock to the rivers, where they bathe.

The quantity and spreading of the vulture are, apparently, in a certain dependence on the activity of a person who delivers food to the bird in the form of garbage, fell on pastures, etc. The dependence of the distribution of the vulture on the movement of herds is noted. Unlike other vultures, common vultures usually keep in pairs and loners, rarely (in spring) forming small flocks, even more rarely nesting in groups or colonies. Temporary concentrations of vultures (as well as other vultures) are seen in places where livestock die. Fluctuations in numbers due to changes in fertility, increased mortality - have not been established, as well as for other carnivorous species.
Description: Dimensions and structure. A small vulture with a narrow, weak, strongly drawn beak, a long cere and nostrils parallel to the mouth section; face, crown, throat covered with downy hairs, often absent; the feathers of the back of the head and neck are elongated and pointed, forming a "collar"); bare spot on the goiter; wings are long, the longest primaries are 3rd, 1st primaries between 5th and 6th. Tail of 14 helmsmen, wedge-shaped. The tarsus is long, the fingers are rather thin with blunt claws, the bases of the 3rd and 4th fingers are connected by a noticeable membrane. Length of males and females (4) 630-745, 681 mm on average, span (3) 1630-1706, 1679 mm on average. Weight (2) 21%-2400 g. Wing (15) 468-520, 487.4 mm on average, including 497-520 mm in males, 493-515 mm in females, 468-508 mm in birds of unknown sex, differences no sizes between genders.

Plumage: The first downy outfit of the vulture is dark chocolate-brown, the second is grayish-brown. The first annual outfit is dark brown with buffy-reddish streaks on the tops of the feathers of the neck and back; humeral and wing coverts with buffy edges; loins, lower and upper tail coverts are rufous-buff.

The second annual plumage of the vulture without light borders or with less developed borders, its general brown tone is pale, grayish. In the next two plumages (but this is not clear from our material), the coloration becomes even paler grayish with whitish feather tips; in the fifth plumage, the bird is almost white with a grayish tinge on the greater coverts.
The final plumage of the vulture: plumage is white, sometimes with a yellowish and (rarely) pinkish tint, the flight feathers are black with a grayish shiny coating on the outer webs of the front flywheels and on both rear webs. There is no sexual dimorphism in coloration. The iris is yellowish in adults, brown in young ones; the beak of adults is blackish, in young it is grayish; paws bluish-gray or reddish; the cere and bare skin of the face are orange in adults, pale yellow in young.

Source: Birds of the Soviet Union, v.1. - M.: Sov. the science.1951.

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(Hyalolaena intermedia) Intermediate Hyalolaena

Status: VU. Endemic. One of three species growing in Kyrgyzstan.
Description. Perennial monocarpic plant. Roots slightly thickened, cord-like, branching. Stem solitary, branching many times. Basal leaves are lanceolate in outline, up to 4-6 cm long, with lanceolate, sharp terminal lobes; medium stem leaves with narrower and longer terminal lobes; upper - in the form of lanceolate sharp sheaths. Umbrellas 6-11 ray with an involucre of 5-8 lanceolate, along the edge of white-edged short-rough leaflets; umbels 11-18 flowered with an involucre of 7-10 leaflets. Petals are white. The fruits are dark brown, oval or oval-oblong.
Biological features: Blossoms in V-VI, bears fruit in VI-VII.
General spreading and in the country: Ridges: Chatkal, Ferghana; Naryn river basin, Bekechal river valley.
Places of growth. Gypsum limestones.
Quantity: Occurs in solitary populations.
limiting factors. Not clarified.
Cultivation. no information.
Existing conservation measures: Occurs within the Besh-Aral Reserve.
Recommended conservation measures: Conservation of species habitats.
Source: Red Book of the Kyrgyz Republic. 2nd edition - Bishkek, 2007

Saussurea Gorbunov (Saussurea gorbunovae)

Saussurea is a genus of perennial herbs in the Asteraceae family.
Most species of Saussurea live in the subalpine and alpine belt of mountains in meadows, rocky slopes, scree, rocks, and mountain tundra.
Botanical description of the genus. The leaves are alternate, from whole to pinnately dissected.
The flowers are tubular, bisexual, mostly pink or purple, in inflorescences - baskets forming a common inflorescence, or sometimes solitary.
The fruit is an achene with a tuft of feathery hairs.
Interesting facts: Decandol named the Saussurea genus in honor of two of his compatriot naturalists, the father and son Saussure (Saussure). Father (Horace Benedict de Saussure. 1740-1749) was a geologist, a famous explorer of the Alps, he was also interested in botany - he studied stomata and the rise of nutrients along the stem of plants. Son (Nicolas Theodore de Saussure. 1767-1845) is known as a chemist and plant physiologist.

Various types of Saussure have medicinal uses. Alcoholic extract of Saussurea willifolia is recommended for mixed invasions, it prevents the reproduction of protozoa, such as Giardia, Toxoplasma and Trichomonas. It is used for malaria, as an antibacterial and antiviral agent. Lotions from the alcohol tincture of the plant are effective for inflamed joints.



Seseli giganteum

Seseli is a genus of herbaceous plants in the Apiaceae family.
Representatives of the genus are common in Europe, Western Siberia, Asia Minor and Central Asia.

A number of species grow in meadows and forests, others on rocky slopes or steppes, and some on sands.
Botanical description of the genus.
Biennial and perennial herbs, 10 - 120 cm tall. The stem is ribbed. The leaves are repeatedly pinnately dissected. The flowers are white, yellowish or pinkish, collected in an umbrella. The fruit is a two-seed.
Interesting Facts:
Seseli is also known as moon carrot. In the first year, the plant forms a large rosette of succulent silver-gray leaves. In the second year, a peduncle is formed with a large umbrella of pink flowers, which become white as they age. The healing properties of these representatives of the flora have been known since ancient times. Seseli giganteum was used by many peoples to heal wounds, normalize digestion and fight colds.
This plant contains geraniol. Especially a lot of it in the seeds. This strong fragrance is used in the production of creams, shampoos, soaps, lotions and other perfumes.
Due to its strong odor, geraniol is also used in the manufacture of insect repellents.

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Nedzwiecki's apple tree (Malus niedzwetzkyana)

Status: VU. Very rare, endemic, endangered species, with a small quantity. Valuable species for selection.
Description. In nature, trees up to 4 - 7 m in height. The bark of perennial branches is reddish-brown, while annual branches are dark purple. The leaves are dense, dark green, 7-10 cm long with a reddish tinge. The flowers are bright purple 3 - 5 cm in diameter. The fruits are medium-sized, spherical, purple-red flesh is pinkish-purple. Seeds are dark brown with a raspberry hue. In plants from the Chatkal ridge, the peel of the fruit is partially corky.
Biological features: Spread by seeds and root shoots. Leaves unfold in the third decade III. Blossoms at the end of IV - beginning of V, fructifies in VIII - IX. Vegetation ends in the first decade of X. It is very winter-hardy.
General spreading and in the country: Western Tien Shan (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), Western China (Xinjiang). Described from Mount Mashat (Syrdarya Karatau Range). In Kyrgyzstan, the Chatkal, Uzun-Akhmat and Fergana (southeastern part) ranges.
Places of growth. In the zone of walnut forests along the bottoms of the gorges and in the lower parts of the slopes. Number. Occurs singly.
limiting factors. Strengthened economic activity. Plants do not tolerate soil compaction during grazing. The fruits are eaten by animals, stopping seed renewal. When growing together with the Kirghiz and Sievers apple trees, its flowers are pollinated and the number of seed plant decreases.
Cultivation. It is widely cultivated in Kazakhstan under the name "Kuldzhinka". Wild plants are cultivated in the botanical gardens of Tashkent, Alma - Ata, Dushanbe, Moscow. In the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, at the age of 22, she reached 7 m in height.
Existing protection measures: Included in the Red Book of the Kirghiz SSR (1985).
Protective measures are recommended. It is necessary to take into account plants growing in the gorges of the Aflatun and Kara-Suu rivers, in the Ak-Terek-Gava tract, the gorge of the Kara-Alma river. Organize a nursery for growing genetic planting material from seeds collected in wild plantations of the species.
Interesting facts: Nedzwiecki's apple tree got its name thanks to the botanist Nedzwiecki. He presented the fruits from the tree to Dr. Dick, who introduced this species into cultivation under the aforementioned name. The tree is unpretentious, decorative, grows on average up to 6 m, with a wide raised crown.
Frost resistance is high.
Nedzvetsky's apple tree is resistant to diseases.
Use as decorative species:
Malus niedzwetzkyana – one of the most charming decorative types of apple trees, a feature of which is considered to be a rich dark pink bloom. In height, the tree reaches from 5 to 8 meters, while having a round or tent-shaped crown. The branches are smooth, purplish-brown at a young age, later becoming lilac-brown. Young leaves are purple in color, then, as they bloom, they become rich emerald, and the primary color remains only on the petioles. The plant blooms profusely and with a special chic, changing the color of the emerging flowers from rich purple to a delicate pink hue. The flowers are very fragrant. The fruits of the apple tree are dark red and small, slightly larger than cherries, their diameter does not exceed 2 cm. They differ little in taste from the traditional forest wild apple tree - they are just as juicy and sour. With the onset of frost, apples do not fall off and become much tastier, moreover, they change color to purple. The apple tree bears fruit on average up to 60 years.
Nedzwiecki's apple tree is decorative all year round. In mid-May, during flowering, it is abundantly covered with bright pink flowers and fills the entire garden with a delicate aroma. In summer, small, like toy, red apples appear and the foliage darkens. In autumn, the color of the leaves changes to a fiery crimson. And in winter, unpicked and already purple apples will fall like garlands from the flexible branches of this truly unique tree. In addition to the undoubted all-season decorative effect, the Nedzwiecki apple tree is resistant to both diseases and pests. It looks good in colorful compositions, like a blooming accent. Suitable for alley planting and as a tapeworm on the lawn. Suitable for urban landscaping, except for areas with heavy traffic.

Source: Red Book of the Kyrgyz Republic. 2nd edition - Bishkek, 2007

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Sievers apple tree (Malus sieversii)

Status: Category LC. A mountainous Central Asian polymorphic species, a valuable element of the gene pool, one of the minor forest-forming and fruit species [61, 21, etc.]. The only species of flora in Kyrgyzstan, which is included in the International Red Book (IUCN RLTS, category VU B1 + 2c).
Description: Trees up to 3-5 m tall, with a compact crown. Branches with reddish-brown bark, or with gray, exfoliating. Shoots are lighter than those of M. niedzwetzkyana. Leaves dense to thin, up to 10 cm long. Flowers 2-5 per inflorescence, pale pink, 5.5-6.0 cm in diameter. Apples by 2-3 on the branch, flattened-spherical, 3-7 cm in diameter, green or yellowish, often with a purple blush. sweet-sour, dryish.
Biological features: Blossoms at the end of IV - beginning of V, fructifies in VII-IX. Propagated by seeds and root shoots. The species is usually low-growing, but winter-hardy and relatively unpretentious [61, 55, etc.].
General spreading and in the country: Mountains of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, South Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan), Northern Afghanistan, Xinjiang and the Tarbagatai Range. In Kyrgyzstan - the Kyrgyz ridges (northern slope), Talas (west), Suusamyr-Too (southern slope), Kavak-Too, Chatkal, Uzun-Akhmat, Atoinok, Fergana, Chatkal, Kichi and Chon-Kemin river basins; on Alai, except for the tract Turuk, and the Turkestan ranges is absent.
Places of growth. In the black forest belt, along the bottoms and slopes of gorges, at altitudes from 900 (usually from 1200 in Kyrgyzstan) to 2400 m a.s.l. y. m.
Quantity: Trees are located both separately and in relatively large groups in forests, almost throughout the entire range of the species on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. The areas of apple forests under the jurisdiction of the forestry authorities of the Republic, in which the Sievers apple is the main species, according to estimates for 2000, have an area of about 16.7 thousand hectares.
limiting factors: Economic activity, overgrazing. In a number of places of growth, trees are cut down for fuel, and are periodically severely affected by harmful insects.
Cultivation. It is widely cultivated in Central Asia and in the countries of the former USSR (to the north to Moscow and Kaliningrad), in Kyrgyzstan it is sometimes grown by local residents in household plots. It has been cultivated in the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic since 1953. Apple trees grown from seeds and began to bear fruit at the age of 8.
Existing protection measures: The species was listed in the IUCN RLTS in 1994 as vulnerable on a global scale, and also in the Red Book of Kazakhstan in 1981 as declining in numbers. A number of habitats are located in protected areas in the Western Tien Shan (in Kyrgyzstan - in the reserves of Padysha-Ata, Sary-Chelek and Besh-Aral, as well as in the reserves of Dashman, Uzun-Akhmat, Iirisuy, etc.).
Protective measures are recommended. Take control of marginal populations (on the ridges of Suusamyr-Too, Kavak-Too, Alai), increase the amount of fines for the destruction of trees, as objects under the protection of the IUCN.

Source: Red Book of the Kyrgyz Republic. 2nd edition - Bishkek, 2007

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Pear Korzhinsky [Pyrus korshinskyi]

Status: VU. One of three species growing on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic. The taxon is unknown. Narrow local endemic of the Western Tien Shan. Valuable gene pool for selection of drought-resistant southern high-yielding varieties of pears.

Description: A tree with a spherical-spreading or elongated crown up to 10 - 12 m in height. Shoots are dark brown, young, pubescent in the first half of the growing season, then almost naked or naked. Leaves lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate or tongue-shaped, 5-10 cm long, with the greatest width in the lower part, crenate-serrate along the edge. Flowers 2-2.5 cm in diameter, white, petals oblong-oval with a short nail. The fruits are broad pear-shaped, greenish-yellow, juicy, slightly astringent in taste.

Biological features: It belongs to the group of East Asian pears or their hybrids, which are characterized by a short dormant period, poor winter hardiness, high resistance to fungal diseases and drought resistance. Propagated by seeds and root shoots. The leaves unfold in the second and third decades of IV. Under natural conditions, it blooms in V, bears fruit at the end of VIII - IX. Leaf fall begins at the end of IX and does not end before the onset of winter.
General spreading and in the country: Western Tien Shan, Pamir-Alai (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan). In Kyrgyzstan - Chatkal and Fergana ranges.
Places of growth: Dry gravelly, gravel-stony and fine-earth slopes, along the banks of the sais, in the lower and middle belt of mountains within 1200-1700 m a.s.l.
Quantity: insignificant. Meets singly.
limiting factors: Felling fruit-bearing trees. Lack of seed renewal.
Cultivation. In the arboretum - reserve of the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, it is grown from seeds collected in the vicinity of the village. Charvak, on the Ferghana Range in 1954. Adult specimens endure the winter satisfactorily.
Existing protection measures: It has been protected on the territory of the republic since 1975 in accordance with the decree of the Council of Ministers of the Kirghiz SSR. Included in the Red Book of the Kirghiz SSR (1985).
Protective measures are recommended: Establish strict control over the number and condition of the species. All copies are to be protected.
Source: Red Book of the Kyrgyz Republic. 2nd edition - Bishkek, 2007

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The marbled polecat [Vormela peregusna]

Status: Category III, Critically Endangered, CR: R, Cl. Close to extinction. The only species in the genus.
General spreading and in the country: Steppes, semi-deserts and deserts of South-Eastern Europe, Western, Central and Central Asia. In Kyrgyzstan, in the past it lived in the Chui, Talas valleys and adyrs of the Turkestan range. In the last decade, meetings are known in the Chui valley and on the southern slopes of the Chatkal ridge.
Habitats: Steppes and semi-deserts. It occurs in shrub thickets along river valleys.
Quantity: Not known.
Lifestyle (life cycles): Leads a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. It feeds on gerbils, ground squirrels, jerboas and other small animals. Young appear in February - March. There are 3-8 cubs in a litter, sometimes up to 14.
limiting factors: Habitat expansion.
Breeding (keeping in captivity): No information.
Existing protection measures: listed into the red book of the Kyrgyz SSR in 1985, as well as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Protective measures are recommended: Conducting a survey of proposed habitats, as a result - the development of the necessary protective measures.

Source: Red Book of the Kyrgyz Republic. 2nd edition - Bishkek, 2007

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