Korday-Zhaysan sanctuary

The Korday-Zhaysan sanctuary is a state nature reserve of local significance covering close to 370,000 hectares in Zhambyl region, protecting a long stretch of the northern foothills of the Kyrgyz Range near the Korday border crossing with Kyrgyzstan. Its terrain rises from open plains near the Korday area toward the mountain front, with some points offering views across the border toward Bishkek. It was created to safeguard the foothill and lower mountain-slope habitats of this part of the Kyrgyz Range, an area shaped by its position on a major transit corridor between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Rather than centering on a single landmark, the sanctuary preserves a continuous belt of foothill and mountain vegetation along the border zone, complementing other protected sections of the same range, such as the Zhualy-Karashat and Merke sanctuaries further along the front.