Zaamin State Nature Reserve

The reserve lies on the northern slope of the western Turkestan range. Heavy grazing, felling of juniper and poaching led to its creation in 1959, after an earlier reserve here had existed in 1926–1929 and 1934–1951; the naturalist Alexei Fedchenko had studied the area in the 1860s.

It protects high juniper woodland between about 1,760 and 3,500 metres, home to the white-clawed bear, the bearded vulture and the black stork. In 1978 a national park of 31,500 hectares was created alongside it, and the two form one protected massif.

• Old juniper forests of the Turkestan range
• Home of the white-clawed bear and bearded vulture
• Joined by a national park since 1978