Title: Ecological and cultural importance of juniper ecosystem in the area of Zeravshan valley (Tajikistan) on the background of environmental condition and anthropogenic hazards Author: Oimahmad Rahmonov, Małgorzata Rahmonov, Magdalena Opała-Owczarek, Piotr Owczarek, Tadeusz Niedźwiedź, Urszula Myga-Piątek Citation style: Rahmonov Oimahmad, Rahmonov Małgorzata, Opała-Owczarek Magdalena, Owczarek Piotr, Niedźwiedź Tadeusz, Myga-Piątek Urszula. (2017). Ecological and cultural importance of juniper ecosystem in the area of Zeravshan valley (Tajikistan) on the background of environmental condition and anthropogenic hazards. “Geographia Polonica” (Vol. 90, No. 4 (2017), s. 441-461), doi 10.7163/GPol.0110 Geographia Polonica 2017, Volume 90, Issue 4, pp. 441-461 https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0110 INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY AND SPATIAL ORGANIZATION POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES www.igipz.pan.pl www.geographiapolonica.pl ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF JUNIPER ECOSYSTEM IN THE AREA OF ZERAVSHAN VALLEY (TAJIKISTAN) ON THE BACKGROUND OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION AND ANTHROPOGENIC HAZARDS Oimahmad Rahmonov1 • Małgorzata Rahmonov1 Magdalena Opała-Owczarek1 • Piotr Owczarek2 Tadeusz Niedźwiedź1 • Urszula Myga-Piątek1 1 Faculty of Earth Sciences University of Silesia in Katowice Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec: Poland e-mail: [email protected] 2 Institute of Geography and Regional Development University of Wroclaw Uniwersytecki 1, 50-137 Wrocław: Poland Abstract The study analyses physiogeographical factors of the Zeravshan Range as a basis for environmental and habitat diversity. They provided the background for considering conditions for the functioning of juniper for- est ecosystems. The uniqueness of these ecosystems also relies on the longevity of Juniperus seravschanica Kom., J. semiglobosa Regel and J. turkestanica Kom. Physiognomic features of the landscape are conditioned by the habitat, climate, landforms, and recently also by anthropopressure. The ecological, environmental and the cultural importance of juniper trees makes them a distinctive and determinant feature of the landscape. Currently juniper forests across Tajikistan, including those in the Zeravshan Mts., have been significantly dis- rupted as a result of chaotic, uncontrolled and excessive felling. The purpose of this article is to present natural conditions of juniper forest ecosystems, the impact of anthropogenic changes on their functioning as well as the occurrence of endemic species within them. The cultural importance of juniper in the protection of the surrounding landscape was also analysed. Key words juniper forest • deforestation • mountain vegetation • environmental conditions • Zeravshan Valley • Tajikistan 442 Oimahmad Rahmonov et al. Introduction juniper forests of the area were conducted rel- atively recently (Ismailov et al. 2010ab, 2012; The Zeravshan Valley, as well as the entire area Sadikov 2012). It should be emphasised that of the Republic of Tajikistan, is highly diverse the first detailed paper on the flora of the Is- in geological, geomorphological and climatic kander basin was developed in 1985 (Ismailov terms, both vertically and horizontally. This has 1985). Recently research on vegetation suc- led to the formation of habitat mosaics with cession on scree slopes and plant adaptation floral landscapes characterised by a rich and in such an extreme environment was initiated unique vegetation cover. Forests of Central (Saidov & Džuraev 2011). Moreover, relatively Asia are among the most valuable areas of the recently a paper was published on human im- Earth in terms of biodiversity; they are consid- pact on vegetation cover in the Kulikalon Ba- ered a biodiversity hotspot (Mittermeier et al. sin and its natural consequences in the Fann 2005). In a relatively small area (93% of Tajik- Mts. (Rahmonov et al. 2011ab, 2013, 2016). istan is mountainous), there are over 5,000 spe- Moreover, papers describing dendroclimatic cies of vascular plants, of which 850 occur ei- potential of the species of the genus Ephedra ther solely in the territory of Tajikistan or slightly and Juniperus were published (Opała et al. outside its borders (Abdusalâmov 1988). 2013, 2017). Interest in researching plant landscapes Juniper forest ecosystems are rich in spe- of Tajikistan, including the Zeravshan region, cies, including rare and endemic ones. One appeared at the turn of the 19th and early of the causes of biodiversity and endemism 20th centuries (Borŝov 1865; Lipskij 1902). is associated with the presence of orographic More detailed floristic studies in the area barriers. High mountain ranges inhibit migra- were conducted in the later decades of the tion of animals and spread of plants. As a re- 20th century (Gončarov 1937; Ovčinnikov sult, isolated populations easily evolve into 1940; Grigor`ev 1944; Zakirov 1955, 1961; separate species. Large corries and deep Stanûkovič 1963; Sidorenko et al. 1964; valleys between mountain ranges show spe- Konnov 1973; Safarov 1974; Kamelin 1979; cific climatic and soil conditions, which in turn Kudratov 1985). The above-mentioned studies favoured the occurrence of species not found concerned the use of natural resources and ra- in other ecosystems. This is clearly evident tional land use. Already back then scientist reg- in the form of well-developed soil cover and istered disruptions of natural processes in local relatively thicker forests on the northern ecosystems. The synthesis of fragmented re- slopes than on insolated areas where evapo- search on nature conservation, geobotany and transpiration is very high. pedology in the Zeravshan Range can be found The purpose of this article is to present in the most important multi-author paper Flora natural conditions of juniper forest ecosystems, Tadžickoj SSR (Ovčinnikov 1957, 1963, 1968, the impact of anthropogenic changes on their 1975, 1978, 1981; Stanûkovič 1973; Čukavina functioning as well as the occurrence of en- 1984; Kočkareva 1986; Kinzikaeva 1988; demic species within them (the analysis of en- Rasulova 1991), which is generally the only demic species was based on specialist litera- available botanical literature on Tajikistan. ture and field research). Moreover, the cultural Within the Zeravshan Range the best-stud- importance of juniper in the protection of the ied area in terms of geobotany and ecology surrounding landscape was also analysed. is the catchment of the Iskanderdar. The re- search concerned the issues of the tree-shrub Materials and methods riparian communities around Lake Iskanderkul (‘Iskandar’ means Alexander the Great, ‘kul’ The materials were collected during field means lake) and the rivers feeding and drain- research and, in case of endemic species, ing it (Sadikov & Darvoziev 2011). Syntaxo- were gathered from available specialist nomic classification and an update regarding literature. The analysed material includes Geographia Polonica 2017, 90, 4, pp. 441-461 Ecological and cultural importance of juniper ecosystem in the area of Zeravshan valley… 443 information collected in the years 2001- During investigations the sites of endem- 2015, partly through botanical expeditions ic plant species in that area were checked conducted by workers of the Medical Univer- against the 10-volume Flora Tadžickoj SSR sity in Dushanbe and a team from the Uni- where the location of these species is given. versity of Silesia. The study was conducted Botanic and habitat documentation for 140 in the Zeravshan Valley, from the botanical species from 190 included in this book and perspective described as the Zeravshan Geo- which occur within the limits of this geobot- botanic District. The detailed observations anic district was collected. Also Latin names of endemic plant species (especially within of species were given after the Flora Tadžickoj juniper ecosystem) in the east of the prov- SSR. In terms of geobotanic regionalisation ince, mainly in the Yaghnob Valley and in the of the Republic of Tajikistan, the studied area upper part of the Zeravshan Valley, were belongs to the Zeravshan region located with- carried out by a team of researchers under in the massif of the Zeravshan Range (Fig. 1). the direction of M. Kholbegov (Rahmonov The valley of the Zeravshan and its catchment et al. 2013, 2014). During the field work the show highly diverse environmental conditions, occurrence of endemic species in juniper hence the division into three Zeravshan geo- ecosystems of this region was tested, i.e. botanic subdistricts: West (A), Central (B) and confirmed or not. Eastern (C). Figure 1. I – Distribution of the main mountain ridges in Tajikistan, the arrow indicate the Zeravshan River catchment with the Zeravshan Glacier (gray area) (after Trohimov 1968); II – Zeravshan Geobotanical Region: A – western subregion, B – central subregion and C – eastern subregion; 1 – Zeravshan Glacier (after Rahmonov et al. 2013, changed) Geographia Polonica 2017, 90, 4, pp. 441-461 444 Oimahmad Rahmonov et al. Environmental conditions high seismicity connected with the location of Zeravshan valley in the vicinity of the frontal Pamir thrust sys- tem (Owczarek et al. 2017). Deposits from Relief and geology the Middle Devonian and Carboniferous pre- The Zeravshan Range is located in north-west dominate. Northern foothills are partially built Tajikistan; it runs from the west to the east of Lower Silurian rocks, whereas in the west- along the stretch of about 300 km. The range ern part of the mountains Neogene deposits belongs to the extensive Pamir-Alay Mts. which predominate,