National Natural Park "Sarkent"

“Sarkent” - an ancient name of a settlement

The National Nature Park Sarkent is located in the Leilek district of the Batken region, 141 kilometers southwest of the regional center, the city of Batken. The park covers an area of 40,000 hectares.

In the 2000s, a symposium on juniper forests was held in Osh, attended by representatives from about 20 countries. For the first time, issues regarding juniper forests were raised, and from 2004 to 2006, the "JAMP" project from France was supported in the forestry enterprises of the Osh and Batken regions. During the project aimed at supporting juniper forests in southern Kyrgyzstan, ideas emerged to create a park based on the lands of the Leilek forestry and the local government, and a package of documents was prepared for higher authorities. It was only in 2009 that the park was established by a government decree on June 27, 2009.

This is the youngest state park, created in 2009 to preserve unique natural complexes, protect rare and endangered species of animal and plant life, and expand the network of specially protected natural areas.

“Sarkent” is an ancient name of a settlement, where our ancestors once lived in the mountains. Today, there are shrines, small remnants of houses, and sheepfolds. Over time, people migrated to the plains, but the name remained.

62.5 km of the park's territory borders the Ganchinsky district of Tajikistan. The residents of the district completely destroyed their forest areas, leaving nothing of the forest resources that were on the territory of the neighboring district. Tajikistan is experiencing a severe energy crisis, and coal prices are very high and unaffordable for many. Due to the lack of fuel, people began to cross to the Kyrgyz side, and cases of illegal logging increased. As a response, border troops established checkpoints to protect the border and natural resources. There are several passes such as Naumina, Chashmagildan, Jakurut, etc., which open in the summer.

The park is home to animals listed in the Red Book: brown bear, snow leopard, lynx, golden eagle, saker falcon, and kumai. Such valuable animals as porcupines and roe deer have been completely exterminated.

Before the park was established, the population of most mammal species living in the nature park had a tendency to decline year after year. Overall, among the established indigenous mammal species in the nature park, nearly 7 species are classified as decreasing in number and are at the lower possible limit. Among mammals, the strongest anthropogenic pressure is experienced by the orders of ungulates and predators, meaning that their declining species make up 50% and 55% of the total number, respectively. This applies to such commercially significant species as wild boars, roe deer, stone martens, porcupines, badgers, and other mammal species, with the exception of some predator species like wolves and foxes. These mammals were considered numerous and had significant commercial value 30–40 years ago. The same problem applies to several mammal species.

Long-term analysis of the work has shown that in the Sarkent State Park, under the conditions of an intensifying modern heterogeneous anthropogenic factor, the species diversity of mammals has been preserved.

The territory of the nature park is very diverse; in the river valleys, there is natural forest consisting of birch and poplar, willow, and hawthorn, as well as a multitude of shrub vegetation: rowan, sea buckthorn, barberry, rosehip, almond, etc.

But the main forest-forming species is juniper, with juniper forests covering an area of 9,491 hectares. The park is home to such species of juniper as: Zeravshan juniper, semi-spherical juniper, and Turkestan juniper. Due to the expansion of the territory, work is carried out annually to plant juniper and increase the area by sowing almond seeds.

In 2012-2014, scientific researchers from the Academy of Sciences discovered two new plants for "Sarkent": strange honeysuckle (Ukmushtu shilbi) - a shrub 1-1.5 m tall, and orchid juno (Araladay juno) - a flower. These plants are listed in the Red Book of Kyrgyzstan, but have not been seen in the country for a long time. They were found in small quantities in "Sarkent."

The park contains 5 lakes: Aykol, Zhashylkol, Sutkol, Boyrokkol, Zhashkol. There are many high mountain cliffs, small and large caves.

Visiting the National Park Sarkent will have a beneficial effect on the overall health of the body, as the pure mountain air and clear healing water help restore strength and combat many ailments. While walking in the park, you may, if lucky, encounter a bear and see a golden eagle soaring in the sky.

You can spend the night in a yurt, where you will be offered kumis, ayran, and spring water.