Sep 29, 2010

#209 - RUSSIA - VencSv

Hornbeam ground Roots, Sochi National park

Where the foothills of the Great Caucasus Mountain Range cascade into the warm waters of the Black Sea lies one of Russia’s unique natural areas: nowhere else in the country are subtropical and high-mountain landscapes located so close to one another. This diversity of landscapes supports a similar diversity of plant and animal life that makes the region important not just for its aesthetic value, but for its role in conserving biodiversity. For the joint purposes of preserving and studying the natural riches of the region while making them more accessible to visitors, Sochinsky National Park — Russia’s first national park—was founded in 1983.
The park covers 1937.37 square kilometres within the Western Caucasus World Heritage Site.

No comments: