The 2022 Steppe Expedition of the Russian Geographical Society began its work in the south of European Russia in the Kuma-Manych Depression. 15 thousand years ago, the waves of the strait between the Black and Caspian Seas were splashing here. In mid-April, the early-blooming flowers begin to appear en-masse in the Manych steppes: red-book tulips and irises. A bright floral carpet attracts the attention of locals and tourists from other regions.
On April 16 and 17, with the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Kalmykia, the Steppe Expedition visited unique natural objects – the Tulip Steppe in Priyutnensky District, sections of the Chernye Zemli Reserve and wetlands of Lake Manych-Gudilo. The results of the expedition will be reflected in the strategy for the development of a network of specially protected natural territories in the steppe zone of Russia before 2030. You can use this link to view the photo album "Steppe expedition – 2022: Kalmykia".
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The project of the RGS Steppe Expedition has been implemented since 2010 with the support of the Institute of the Steppe of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the leadership of the Vice-President of the RGS, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Chibilev. Its main tasks are to study the state of the nature reserve fund of the steppe belt of Eurasia; study and systematization of scientific data on objects of animate and inanimate nature of the steppe belt, their ecological state. The expedition routes passed not only through the territory of Russia, but also Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and other states.