Tajik National Park (Tajik: Боғи миллии Тоҷикистон, romanized: Boghi millii Tojikiston; Russian: Таджикский национальный парк, romanized: Tadzhikskiy natsional'nyy park) is a national park and nature reserve in eastern Tajikistan. It was established in 1992 and expanded in 2001 to include parts of the Pamir Mountains, which are the third-highest mountain range in the world. The park covers 26,116.74 square kilometres (10,083.73 sq mi), which is about 18 percent of Tajikistan's total area.
History
From 1989 to 1992, Anvar J. Buzurukov, who was the head of the Protected Areas Department in the Ministry of the Environment, started, organized, and managed scientific research as part of an international scientific group called "Pamir-90." This research aimed to create the first national and natural parks in the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic. On July 20, 1992, the Tajikistan government approved the creation of Tajik National Park, covering an area of 12,000 square kilometers (4,600 square miles), through Decision No. 267. One year earlier, the same team established the first nature reserve in Tajikistan, called Shirkent Nature Park.
In 2001, the size of Tajik National Park was expanded to 26,116.74 square kilometers (10,083.73 square miles) by Government Order No. 253 of the Republic of Tajikistan.
Ecology and wildlife
The national park has different types of areas, including steppe, desert, grassland, and mountain regions. It experiences long, cold winters and cool summers, with an average yearly rainfall of 12.7 centimeters.
Animals that live in the park include brown bears, snow leopards, wolves, markhors, Marco Polo sheep, brown-headed gulls, and bar-headed geese.
The park is also home to Fedchenko Glacier, which is the largest valley glacier in Eurasia and the longest outside the polar regions; Uzoi Dam, the highest natural dam in the world; and Karakul Lake, the world's highest large lake formed by a meteor impact.
World Heritage status
In 2008, the national park was submitted to UNESCO to become a World Heritage Site. In 2013, the park was accepted as a World Heritage Site.
- The Pamir Mountains
- Map of eastern Tajikistan and the Pamir Ranges, showing Tajik National Park in green