Toratau Geopark is created in Bashkiria to preserve Tratau and Yuraktau Shihans special status

UFA, 24 January 2019. /Bashinform News Agency, Azat Gizatullin/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/.

On January 18, the Government of Bashkortostan, in accordance with the decree by the Acting Head of the region Radiy Khabirov, issued an order to establish a Toratau Geopark in the Ishimbay and Sterlitamak districts. The regional Ministry of Environment explains that today it is a geopark of republican significance. In the future, it will be nominated to the international network of UNESCO Global Geoparks.

The Toratau Geopark includes already existing specially protected natural territories - Tratau and Yuraktau Shihans (monadnocks), as well as a number of other unique objects in two districts. These are natural monuments: the Romadanovsky ravine, the Khaza cave and the Berkhomut spring, the Ziganovka, Elasyn, Olympia caves and their surroundings, Tugar-Salgan lake, Alatau mountain section, Itkulovskoe swamp, the “Ishimbaysky” state nature reserve with Kukrauk waterfall, Salavat Yulaev and Tash-oi caves, Kalim-Uskan rock with one of the most complete and best sections in the world of Devonian and Carboniferous boundary sections (360-380 million years ago, Paleozoic era).

In this and in 2020, it is planned to conduct field scientific expeditions and to clarify the borders of the Toratau Geopark, to identify key objects that have value for science and recreation and establish the way of its development.

After the inclusion of the Geopark in the UNESCO global network, Tratau and Yuraktau Shihans will be nominated to the list of World Heritage sites of this international organization. This will give them the highest protection status. A working group is being set up under the Government of the republic to develop the development strategy of the Toratau Geopark.