Darwin Nature Reserve, Darvinsky Zapovednik () is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

(a ''

zapovednik A zapovednik is an established term on the Post-Soviet states, territory of the former Soviet Union for a protected area which is kept "forever wild". It is the highest degree of environmental protection for the assigned areas, which are strictly ...

'') in the north of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, located in

Cherepovetsky District Cherepovetsky District () is an administrativeLaw #371-OZ and municipalLaw #1129-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northeast of the oblast and borders with Belozersky District in the north, ...

Vologda Oblast Vologda Oblast (, ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is Vologda. The oblast has a population of 1,202,444 (Russian Census (2010), 2010 Census). The largest city is Cherepovets, t ...

and Breytovsky District of

Yaroslavl Oblast Yaroslavl Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by the Tver Oblast, Tver, Moscow Oblast, Moscow, Ivanovo Oblast, Ivanovo, Vladimir Oblast, Vlad ...

, on the shores of the

Rybinsk Reservoir Rybinsk Reservoir (, ), informally called the Rybinsk Sea, is a water reservoir (water), reservoir on the Volga River and its tributary, tributaries the Sheksna River, Sheksna and Mologa River, Mologa, formed by Rybinsk Hydroelectric Station dam, ...

of the

Volga River The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

. It was established July 18, 1945 to study the effects of raising freshwater level on the environment. It was named after

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

History

In 1941, all preparatory work for construction of the Rybinsk Reservoir was completed, and the water level started to raise. The reservoir was full in 1947. Since further construction of big reservoirs was planned at the time, research on the effect of the creation of the reservoir on the environment was needed. To perform this research, the nature reserve was created on July 18, 1945. In 1952 P. A. Petrov, Director of Darvinsky Zapovednik, denounced staff at the nature reserve and implicated Aleksandr Malinovskii, the head of the Main Administration of Zapovednik. This led to an investigation in Darvinsky Zapovednik which vindicated Malinovskii and to the humiliation of Petrov. Since 1963, the nature reserve additionally performs the research on capercaillies to facilitate breeding of these birds.

Location and geography

The nature reserve occupies the northwestern part of the reservoir. Of the total area of , is occupied by land, and the rest is occupied by water. Approximately two thirds of the reserve are located in Vologda Oblast and one third is located in Yaroslavl Oblast. The major part of the area which belongs to Vologda Oblast is a peninsula in the Rybinsk Reservoir. Darwin Nature Reserve is located on Sheksna-Mologa Plain and is flat. Much of the area of the reserve is covered by coniferous forest (''

taiga Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. In North A ...

'') and swamps. In winter, swamps, rivers, and the Rybinsk reservoir stay frozen for several months. The addition of the reservoir to the landscape considerably altered the climate. In particular, the principal winds are flow currently from the northwest, as compared with southern and southwestern winds dominated previously. Among other the features related to human activity there are

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

islands on the Rybinsk reservoir, which were formed as a consequence of the erosion of the bottom of the reservoir. Peat, which was deposited below the soil, floats and forms the islands. Another feature are the wells used to burn coal in the 18th century. A number of villages went under water when the reservoir was being filled, and some of the villages are still marked by islands with groups of trees.

Fauna

Large mammals resident in the nature reserve include

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. Of the land carnivorans, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on av ...

gray wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...

, and

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

References

External links

Map of Darvinsky at ProtectedPlanet.net

Map of Darvinsky at OpenStreetMap.org
{{Russian Zapovedniks Geography of Vologda Oblast Geography of Yaroslavl Oblast Nature reserves in Russia Protected areas established in 1945 Tourist attractions in Yaroslavl Oblast Tourist attractions in Vologda Oblast 1945 establishments in Russia Zapovednik