Barsa-Kelmes Nature Reserve, Nature reserve in Aral District, Kazakhstan
Barsa-Kelmes Nature Reserve is a protected area in Aral District, Kazakhstan, covering more than 160,000 hectares. The reserve consists of three separate sectors with different landscape types, from sandy plains to wetlands with reeds and shallow water surfaces.
The protected status was established in late 1939 to preserve threatened animal species in the region. The original area was located on an island in the Aral Sea, which later became connected to the mainland through water retreat.
The name comes from Kazakh and means "go there and never return", a reference to the isolation of the original island. Visitors today see former seabed turned into desert, with saxaul forests and shrubland growing where water once covered the ground.
Access is challenging due to the remote location and desert climate, so preparation is essential. Spring and autumn are better times to visit, when temperatures are milder and migratory birds use the wetland areas.
The Delta section was recognized in 2012 as a wetland of international importance and attracts hundreds of thousands of waterfowl each year. Rare fish species have survived in the shallow waters, despite the dramatic decline of the Aral Sea around it.
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