Looking at the map of Almaty Region, one can easily notice a green triangle. It’s the delta of the Ili River. 150 kilometers away from Lake Balkhash, the river starts branching out forming a labyrinth of lakes, canals and islands. It is a boundless sea of water, reed thickets and inundated woods called riparian. The Kazakh word “tugai” has already entered the international scientific literature. The animal and plant communities existing in the inundated forests of Central Asian rivers can be found nowhere else but here. The represent the natural value of global significance.
