Shulgan-Tash Nature Reserve

Shulgan-Tash Nature Reserve (Bashkir) is a Russian zapovednik (strict nature reserve) in the western foothills of the Southern Ural Mountains, in the Burzyansky District of Bashkortostan. The reserve, nestled in dense forest and rugged karst terrain, takes its name from the Shulgan-Tash Cave, famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The nearest town is Starosubkhangulovo (about 40 km away). In 2012, the reserve was added to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve "Bashkir Ural", in particular for protection of the Burzyuan bee, which has been cultivated since old times by the local Bashkir people. As of 2016, the reserve is home to 13 full-time "bortniks" — traditional beekeepers who practice the ancient art of tree-hollow apiculture, nurturing wild honeybee colonies.

NatureReserve data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).