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22-621: The steppe and wetland landscapes of Dauria are protected by the Daurian Nature Reserve , which forms part of a World Heritage Site named " Landscapes of Dauria ". Dauria stretches for almost 1,000 km from north to south from the Patom Plateau and North Baikal Plateau to the Russian state borders with Mongolia and China. The Transbaikal region covers more than 1,000 km from west to east from Lake Baikal to

44-535: A 8,429,072 hectares (20,828,690 acres) area of steppe immediately to the south. The reserve comprises 222,965 hectares (550,960 acres), of which about 173,201 hectares (427,990 acres) constitute the buffer zone which surrounds several protected core zones. The core area is of about 49,764 hectares (122,970 acres) and is divided into 9 plots. The buffer zone of the reserve covers the Torey Lakes : two large lakes called Barun-Torey and Zun-Torey. The Daurian Reserve

66-521: A pair of soda lakes , Barun-Torey and Zun-Torey, in Russia's Zabaykalsky Krai , on the border with Mongolia — the Mongolia–Russia border runs across the southern tip of Zun-Torey lake. The two lakes are the remains of a large lake or sea whose surface, according to Shamsutdinov (1983), once reached 2,400 km (930 sq mi) some 700,000 years ago. They are the largest soda lakes in

88-437: Is 13 km. The lake is round and has a single island, which turns into a peninsula when the water level is low. Lake Zun-Torey is mostly fed by the channel from Lake Baran-Torey, and does not dry as extensively or vary in extent as much as Lake Baran-Torey does. During the aridification of Zun-Torey lake, four stages of changes in the planktonic associations were identified; the phytoplankton decreased in abundance and biomass, and

110-602: Is a Russian zapovednik (strict nature reserve) situated in the southern part of Zabaykalsky Krai in Siberia , Russia , close to the border with Mongolia . It is part of a World Heritage Site named "The Landscapes of Dauria ". The reserve was established in 1987 to protect the dry steppes and wetlands of South Siberia. It is contiguous with the Dornod Mongol Biosphere Reserve in Mongolia,

132-461: Is fed by two rivers. The Ulz River (Uldza River or Ulz Gol) flows into the lake from the south and forms a large estuary. The Imalka River flows into the lake from the west. When the water level reaches 596.1 m in elevation, Barun-Torey water starts running off into Zun-Torey lake via the Utochi channel. Once the surfaces of the two lakes are levelled up, the wind and other factors induce changes in

154-582: Is located in the Daurian forest steppe ecoregion, a band of grassland, shrub terrain, and mixed forests in northeast Mongolia and a portion of Siberia, Russia. The climate at the Daurian Reserve is Subarctic climate, dry winter ( Köppen climate classification Subarctic climate(Dwc) ). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1-3 months above 10 °C (50.0 °F)) and cold winters having monthly precipitation less than one-tenth of

176-478: Is strewn with temporary freshwater pools fed by groundwater and precipitations, even though that groundwater is not necessarily freshwater. These pools are alkaline, with a pH around 8.2 – 9.0; they are oligohaline (0.5–1.0 g × l-1), rather warm (26 to 30°С), most are muddy (TR = 0.1–0.3 m). Those at the western shore of the lake are fed by groundwater discharge through a geological fracture . In periods of high water level, Barun-Torey lake and Zun-Torey lake have

198-855: The meridian of the confluence of the Shilka and Argun Rivers. To the west and north lies the Irkutsk Oblast ; to the north the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), to the east the Amur Oblast . Oktyabrsky (Октябрьский) village, Amur Oblast , near the Russia-China border is a large site of uranium mining and processing facilities. Part of the area is protected by the Dauria Nature Reserve . The region has given its name to various animal species including Daurian hedgehog , and

220-630: The red-crowned crane ( Grus japonensis ), white-naped crane ( Grus vipio ), swan goose ( Anser cygnoides ), great bustard ( Otis tarda ), and relict gull ( Ichthyaetus relictus ). The lakes are located on East Asian–Australasian Flyway , and millions of birds pass through the Torey Lakes and nearby wetlands in spring and autumn. The lakes provide migratory habitat for the critically endangered Siberian crane ( Grus leucogeranus ) and threatened hooded crane ( Grus monacha ). Traditional agriculture, fishing, and animal husbandry are important to

242-646: The arid zone in the trans-Baikal region. They lie close to one another, connected by the Utochi channel, in a closed basin with no outlet to the sea. The size and volume of water in the lakes varies greatly with the region's multi-decadal rainfall and climate cycles. These interdecadal cycles last from 27 years to 35 years; they depend on variations in atmospheric moistening: relatively moist and very cold periods alternate with dry and relatively warm periods. For example, Barun-Torey lake completely dried up in summer 2009, and started refilling in 2013; Zun-Torey lake dried up in autumn 2017. The dry bed of Barun-Torey lake

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264-683: The collapse of the Soviet Union, although hopes for their implementation were rekindled in 2009. Mammals of the reserve included on the IUCN red list are dzeren , pallas cat and Daurian hedgehog . Recently a new zakaznik , the Dzeren Valley (Долина дзерена), has been created in the area to ensure migration of the dzeren between Russia and Mongolia. 49°58′N 115°26′E  /  49.967°N 115.433°E  / 49.967; 115.433 Torey Lakes The Torey Lakes are

286-422: The direction of the current in the channel. When the water level falls, the shallower Barun-Torey lake dries up quicker and the water in the Utochi channel flows from Zun-Torey lake to Barun-Torey lake. As the lake level falls and during the initial refilling of the lake, three stages of changes in the planktonic associations have been identified; the plankton communities increase in species richness and abundance in

308-504: The following birds: Asian brown flycatcher ( Muscicapa daurica ), Daurian jackdaw , Daurian partridge , Daurian redstart , Daurian starling , Daurian shrike and the red-rumped swallow ( Hirundo daurica ). The Mongolian wild ass ( Equus hemionus hemionus ) is extinct in the region. The common name of the famous Dahurian larch ( Larix gmelinii ) as well as that of the Dahurian buckthorn ( Rhamnus davurica ) are also derived from

330-431: The local population. An area of 172,500 ha (426,000 acres), including both lakes and adjacent wetlands and uplands, was designated a Ramsar Site on September 13, 1994. The RAMSAR site comprises 65% lakes, 22% terrestrial steppe ecosystems, 7% river, 5% arable land, and 1% human settlements and roads; its altitude goes from 591 m to 769 m. The Daursky Nature Reserve or Zapovednik-Daursky state biosphere reserve

352-420: The same hydrochemical parameters: oligohaline and alkaline. During high-water years, Barun-Torey lake has an area of 550 km (210 sq mi), with a volume of 1.4 km (0.34 cu mi); the average depth is 2.5 m, with a maximum depth of 4.3 m. In low-water years, the lake shrinks dramatically and can dry up completely. The southern end of the lake extends into Mongolia. Barun-Torey lake

374-709: The same source. The ancient proto-Mongol Slab Grave Culture occupied the area around Lake Baikal in the Transbaikal territory. In 1667, Gantimur opened Transbaikalia and the country on the Amur River to the influence of the Tsardom of Russia . In Imperial Russia , Dauria itself became an oblast - the Transbaikal Oblast ( Russian : Забайкальская область ), established in 1851, with its capital at Nerchinsk , then at Chita . It became part of

396-538: The short-lived Far Eastern Republic between 1920 and 1922. The administration of historic Transbaikalia currently includes Buryatia and the Zabaykalsky Krai ; the area makes up nearly all of the territory of these two federal subjects . 53°N 115°E  /  53°N 115°E  / 53; 115 Daurian Nature Reserve The Daurian Nature Reserve ( Russian : Даурский заповедник , romanized :  Daurskiy zapovednik )

418-405: The transient pools. Lake Zun-Torey lies east of Lake Barun-Torey. During high water, the lake has a surface area of 285 km and a volume of 1.6 km ; but in 1999 its surface reached 301.6 km and in 2015 it reached 254 km . The average depth is 4.5 m, and the maximum depth (in the northern part of the lake, where the lake bed drops steeply from the shore) is 6.7 m; its length is 23 km and its width

440-462: The wettest summer month. The vertebrate fauna includes 48 mammal species, 317 bird species, 3 reptile species, 3 amphibian species and 4 species of fish. In addition, there are about 800 species of insects. The reserve also contains 1 colony of the rare Iris potaninii . It had been planned to introduce the Przewalski horse to the reserve in the 1980s, but the plans were cancelled following

462-500: Was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997, and covers an area of 2,277 km (879 sq mi). It is also part of the 2017 World Heritage Site " Landscapes of Dauria ". A 2020 satellite imagery showed Mongolian plans to build a dam on the Uldza River which would potentially disrupt the natural water cycle and harm the fine balance in the ecosystem. UNESCO World Heritage Committee has expressed its concern on

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484-677: Was dominated by green algae and diatoms; the number of zooplankton species decreased but zooplankton's total abundance and biomass increased as the number of individuals increased in some crustacean species. The lakes and their environs are home to 305 bird species (including 90 breeding species), 42 species of mammals, various reptile, amphibian, and fish species, and over 590 insect species. The lakes and surrounding wetlands are an important breeding, feeding and staging area for many species of migratory waterbirds, including several rare and threatened species. The lakes support significant breeding populations of several threatened bird species, including

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