Sochi National Park (Russian: Сочинский национальный парк, also Sochinsky National Park) is Russia's oldest national park, established on May 5, 1983.[1] It is located in the Western Caucasus, near the city of Sochi, in Southern Russia.[2]
| Sochi National Park | |
|---|---|
| Russian: Сочинский (Also: Sochinsky) | |
 European Bison, in Sochi NP | |
  Location of Park  Sochi National Park (Russia) | |
| Location | Krasnodar Krai |
| Nearest city | Sochi |
| Area | 193,737 hectares (478,735 acres; 748 sq mi) |
| Established | 1983 |
| Governing body | Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Russia) |
| Website | https://npsochi.ru/ |
Topography
editSochi National Park covers 1,937.37 square kilometres (478,730 acres) within the Western Caucasus World Heritage Site. The park occupies the Greater Sochi area, from the border with the Tuapsinsky District, between the mouths of Shepsi River and Magri River in the north-west, to the border with Abkhazia along the Psou River in the south-east, and between the Black Sea to the water divide crest of the Greater Caucasus. Immediately to the north is the Caucasus Nature Reserve. The park does not include areas of settlement, such as the city of Sochi and various urban and rural settlements, nor does it include the area of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve.
Persian leopard re-introduction
editIn 2009, a Persian leopard reintroduction center was created in Sochi National Park, where two male leopards from Turkmenistan have been kept since September 2009. Additionally, two female Persian leopards from Iran have been kept since May 2010. Their descendants will be released into the wild in the Caucasus Biosphere Reserve.[3][4] In 2012, a pair of Persian leopards were brought to the Sochi National park from Portugal's Lisbon Zoo. In July 2013, the pair had a litter, the first Persian leopard cubs known to be born in Russia in 50 years. The cubs will be released into the wild after learning survival skills from their parents, according to Natalia Dronova, the WWF-Russia species coordinator.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Main Page". Official Website - Sochi National Park. Sochi National Park. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ Sochinsky National Park
- ^ WWF (2009) Flying Turkmen leopards to bring species back to Caucasus. WWF, 23 September 2009
- ^ Sochi.Live (2010) Sochi welcomes leopards from Iran Archived 2014-03-01 at the Wayback Machine. Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi, 4 May 2010
- ^ "First Persian leopard cubs in 50 years born in Russian breeding center". United Press International. July 19, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
External links
edit- Ministry of Natural Resources of Russian Federation: Sochi National Park website - detailed park profile
- Map of Sochi National Park - ProtectedPlanet.net
- Tourism
and recreation map of national park Sochi