Tajik National Park
Tajik National 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, the third-highest mountain system in the world. The park covers or a little over 18 percent of Tajikistan's total area.
History
From 1989 to 1992, Anvar J. Buzurukov initiated, planned and led scientific feasibility studies towards establishing the first national and natural parks in the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic. An area of was designated Tajik National Park by Decision No. 267 of the Tajikistan government on 20 July 1992. A year before the same team established the first nature reserve in Tajikistan, Shirkent Nature Park.In 2001 the area of Tajik National Park was increased to by the Order of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan No. 253.
Ecology and wildlife
The national park features a mix of steppe, desert, grassland and alpine regions. It has long cold winters and cool summers, with an average annual rainfall of 12.7 cm.Species known to live in the national park include the brown bear, snow leopard, wolves, markhor, Marco Polo sheep, brown-headed gulls and bar-headed geese.
It is also part of the Fedchenko Glacier, the largest valley glacier in Eurasia and world's longest outside the polar regions; Uzoi Dam, the highest natural dam in the world; and Karakul Lake, the world's highest large lake created by a meteor.