Zapovednik Orenburgsky, on the southern edge of the Orenburg Region, was established in
1989. Its area is 21,7 thousand ha. It consists of four separate distant clusters:
Talovskaya Steppe on the southwestern edge of Obschy Syrt;
Burtinskaya Steppe on the left bank of the Ural River within Uralo-Ilek Cis-Ural Region;
Aituarskaya Steppe on the left bank of the Ural River between the valley to the
watershed;
Aschisaiskaya Steppe, with Lake Zhurmankol in eastern Cis-Urals, on the west-facing
slope of the Turgai Plateau.
The relief is a hilly undulating upland with mountain elements. More than 95% of the
area is covered by herbaceous vegetation. Communities of meadow, forb-gramineous, true and
rocky steppes with feathergrasses, wormwood, sagebrush, sheep's fescue, Galatella villosa,
etc. are common.
There occur solonets-steppe complexes with the glasswort, Siberian sea-lavender and
Caspian sea-lavender and shrubs (the Russian almond — Amygdalus nana, pea shrub –
Caragana, Spiraea). On the bottom of ravines European alder forests grow.
The flora includes more than 500 vascular plant species, many of them endemic, relict
and rare (military orchis — Orchis militaris; common tulip — Tulipa schrenkii; Stipa
zalesskii, etc.).
The wildlife combines representatives of steppes, semi-deserts and forests. There are
numerous rodents, including the steppe lemming, European polecat, little souslik, bobac.
The corsac fox, badger, and European hare are to be found. The saiga antelope comes in.
The avian fauna contains over 150 species, including the European bee eater, demoiselle
crane, steppe eagle, etc. In wetlands waterfowl and waterbirds are numerous, including the
greylag, whooper and mute swans, ruddy shelduck, shelduck, coot, mallard, etc. The rare
birds listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation include: the bustard, little
bustard, sociable plover, imperial eagle, saker falcon.
