Established in 1983 in the Kashkadarya Region, the reserve was created to preserve the natural landscapes of the Gissar Range’s northwestern foothills in their original state, support scientific monitoring, promote evidence-based conservation practices, and protect rare wildlife and plant species.
The reserve is divided into four sectors: Gelon, Miraki, Tankhazdarya, and Kyzylsuv. It spans 80,986.1 hectares in total, including 24,308 hectares of forest—12,203 of which are dense woodland. The remaining 56,678 hectares are non-forested, comprising 171 hectares of rivers and lakes, 31,819 hectares of rocky terrain and ravines, and 24,688 hectares of pasture. High mountains, cliffs, gorges, and glaciers account for 35,000 hectares of the reserve.
