Tian Shan biodiversity sanctuary protecting high-altitude forests, glaciers, and snow leopard habitat near Almaty
Ile-Alatau National Park
Ile-Alatau National Park is a protected area in southeastern Kazakhstan, established in 1996 in the Trans-Ili Alatau subrange of the Tian Shan mountain system. The park spans approximately 200,000 hectares along the northern slopes of the Ile-Alatau ridge, stretching from the Turgen gorge in the east to the Chemolgan river in the west, directly south of Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty. The protected area encompasses a remarkable vertical range from 600 meters to over 4,500 meters elevation, incorporating distinct ecological zones including foothills, mid-mountain forest belts, subalpine and alpine meadows, and high-altitude glacial landscapes. The park is renowned for its biodiversity, protecting significant populations of snow leopards, Central Asian lynx, and Tian Shan brown bears within a landscape characterized by spruce forests, glacial lakes, and alpine meadows.