Siysky Zakaznik (russian: Сийский заказник) is a federal

zakaznik Zakaznik (russian: зака́зник, зака́зники, transliterated: ''zakaznik, zakazniki''; uk, singular: заказни́к or зака́зник; plural: заказники́ or зака́зники, transliterated: ''zakaznyk'', ''zak ...

, a nature protected area, in the north of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, located in

Kholmogorsky District Kholmogorsky District (russian: Холмого́рский райо́н) is an administrative district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Kholmogorsky Municipal District.Law #258-vneoc ...

of Arkhangelsk Oblast, north-west of the selo of

Yemetsk Yemetsk (russian: Емецк) is a rural locality (a selo) and the administrative center of Yemetskoye Rural Settlement of Kholmogorsky District Kholmogorsky District (russian: Холмого́рский райо́н) is an administrative distric ...

. It was established in 1963 and transferred to the federal jurisdiction (thereby becoming a federal zakaznik) December 30, 1988. The zakaznik is created to protect flora and fauna (in particular, rare species) of the pine-tree forest environment.

Location and geography

Siysky Zakaznik is located in the southern part of Kholmogorsky District, on the left bank of the

Northern Dvina River The Northern Dvina (russian: Се́верная Двина́, ; kv, Вы́нва / Výnva) is a river in northern Russia flowing through the Vologda Oblast and Arkhangelsk Oblast into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. Along with the Pechora River ...

. The northern part of the park is adjacent to the Northern Dvina, whereas the southern part is limited by the

Yemtsa River The Yemtsa or Yomtsa (russian: Емца, Ёмца) is a river in Plesetsky and Kholmogorsky Districts and in the town of Mirny of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Northern Dvina. It is long, and the area of its basin ...

, one of the biggest tributaries of the Northern Dvina. The northern part contains a number of lakes as well, the biggest of them being Lake Ploskoye and Lake Punanets. On the south, the zakaznik is crossed by the Vaymuga River, a tributary of the Yemtsa. The whole area of the zakaznik is crossed from north to south by the M8, which connects Moscow and Arkhangelsk. There are a number of villages in the limits of the zakaznik, as well as the

Antonievo-Siysky Monastery The Siya Monastery of St. Antonius (''Antonievo-Siysky Monastery'', Антониево-Сийский монастырь) is a Russian Orthodox monastery that was founded by Saint Antonius of Siya deep in the woods, to the south of Kholmogory ...

. The zakaznik is located on the plain. There are karst formations present, including karst lakes. In total, there are 52 lakes and 16 swamps in the zakaznik.

Flora

The area of the zakaznik is covered by woods, of which 80% is coniferous forest (mostly

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

s and firs).

Fauna

Mammals present in Siysky Zakaznik include

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...

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 suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is ...

, lynx,

wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

, beaver,

European mink The European mink (''Mustela lutreola''), also known as the Russian mink and Eurasian mink, is a semiaquatic species of mustelid native to Europe. It is similar in colour to the American mink, but is slightly smaller and has a less specialized ...

European otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of th ...

and others.

References

{{reflist Geography of Arkhangelsk Oblast Protected areas of Russia Protected areas established in 1988