The centre of the Reserve founded in 1982 is located in the north eastern part of Lebap Velayat on 48.3 thousand hectares of territory.The Kelif park that occupies 103 000 hectares and was founded for protection of the most southern region of Turkmenistan for hibernation of wetland birds and entire complex of Kelif lakes is under its jurisdiction.
The Reserve includes the sections of Amudarya River, tugay forests and Kyzylkum desert.The largest part is occupied by plain and desert ecosystems.These are partially covered ridge hilly sands with shrub plantation, sand dunes and alkali lands.
There are some gravel and clay desert with rare shrub vegetation, takyrs, residual hills with baring of root ancient rocks.There are also parts with excessive moisture with meadow and wetland vegetation.
The main feature of the Reserve is a landscape represented by relic ecosystems of tugays gallery forests of the Central Asia.The existence and natural development of local ecosystems is closely related with hydrologic schedyle of the river and periodical floods.
More than 200 specis of tracheal plants were detected in the Reserve but only 15 of them are typical.Tugay forests are mainly consists of two types of poplar the grey and eufrat, turkmen oleaster, jungar willow, tamarisk, licorice, reed and other.
There are many crops, compositae and different types of tamarisk.All this tree and shrub vegetation and thick grass form the jungles, which are difficult to cross.Grey poplar, included in the Red List of International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as well as the fern the Egyptian Marsilea also included to the Red Book of Turkmenistan, are very rare there.
Sharp transition of riverline forest to sandy desert, where all vegeatation is represented by silicaphilic xerophytes, gives a contrast to the landscape.However, the flora of the desert part of the Reserve is greater thatb the one in tugay forests.
There are many endemics there.The goosefoot family, Compositaes, Cruciferaes and legumes are in the leading position by the variety of specis.The basis of plantation cover of the desesrt is composed of white saxaul, coniferous, kandyms, sand acacia, glasswort as well as numerous ephemeral plants.
The fauna of tugay forest bordering with the desert, is very original.The scientists detected 80 types of spiders, many of which were described for the first time.
The beetles and butterflies are well studied there.There are various weevils in the trees’ crowns and night butterflies, neuropteran, ants and carabus are distinguished by the variety among the sand dunes.
There are some Red Book species like tree mantis, turang hawkmoths, order ribbon and blue.Humid conditions for various insects are created by close proximity of the river, which waters have 36 fish species, where the catfish is the largest one.
Big and small false shovelnose sturgeon, pike asp are under the Government International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources protection.Green toad and lake frog can be met at the shallow waters.
The Kyzylkum is rich with reptiles in the deserted parts.Central Asian turtle (included in the Red List of IUCN), steppe agama, sand toad-head lizard, reticular lizard, arrow snake are the most common.
Reticular toad-head agama and Levantine viper, which are included in the Red Book of Turkmenistan, inhabit the territory of the Reserve.
Seasonal migration birds’ routes are crossing the natural protection territory.River lands are an attractive place for nesting of water and wetland birds.There are around 260 species in the Reserve.
Bukhara tomtit, white-wing woodpecker, Amudarya pheasant prefer the forest while the lark, wheatear, dark-belly hazel-grouse like desert spaces.Grey pigeon, bee-eater, roller and hoopoe live on residual slopes.
Grey and red heron, kingfisher and different species of sandpiper stay next to the water.There are golden eagle, short-toed snake eagle, saker falcon, kestrel, marble teal, bustard among the nested birds and pink and curly pelican, spoon-bill, osprey, white-tailed bold eagle, black griffon among the migrating and hibernating birds.
Marble teal that stops during migration and for hibernation, little cormorant, white-tailed bold eagle are included in the Red List of IUCN.
The variety insect attracts those who eats them.These are eared hedgehog, Crocidura leucodon as well as cheiroptera.Their population is not very large and migrating Noctule bat is included in the Red Book of Turkmenistan.
Hare-tolay can be often met there; gerbil and home mice prevail and long-clawed ground squirrel and three-toed jerboa live closer to desert as well as Allactodipus bobrinskii.
There are morrre than 40 species of mammal in the territory of Amudarya Reserve including the predators and ungulate animals.The species acclimatized reviously like nutria and musquash and rare like caracal and otter can be met near the water.
Tugay forests are perfect place for inhabitation of larger animals like foxes, jackals, boars, badgers, desert and sand cats.Tugay deer and Persian gazelle are the adornments of the sanctuary forest and the desert respectively.
Both species are listed in the Red Book of Turkmenistan and IUCN.