The

Yelanets Yelanets (; ) is a rural settlement in Voznesensk Raion. Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Yelanets settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: The settlement is located at the left bank of the Hnylyi ...

Steppe Nature Reserve () is a protected

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 ...

of Ukraine that covers a section of the largest virgin steppe tract in the Northern

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

coast area. It is the only steppe reserve in

Right-bank Ukraine The Right-bank Ukraine is a historical and territorial name for a part of modern Ukraine on the right (west) bank of the Dnieper River, corresponding to the modern-day oblasts of Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, as well as the western parts o ...

(the area on the west side of the

Dnieper River The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

). A herd of

American bison The American bison (''Bison bison''; : ''bison''), commonly known as the American buffalo, or simply buffalo (not to be confused with Bubalina, true buffalo), is a species of bison that is endemic species, endemic (or native) to North America. ...

was introduced and lives within the territory. The reserve is in

Mykolaiv Oblast Mykolaiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Mykolaivshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Mykolaiv. At the most recent estimate, the population ...

Topography

The reserve is situated on a southern spur of the

Dnieper Upland The Dnieper Upland or Cisdnieper Upland () is a southeastern European plain occupying the territory between the Dnieper and the Southern Bug. It lies in central Ukraine, occupying the oblasts of Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad a ...

, about 140 km west of the

, and 100 km north of the

coast. The site began with the set-aside of a 300 hectare plot in 1978; it has been periodically added to over the years to total 1,675 ha in 2019. A 1.2 km ecological corridor runs through the middle of the site. The hilly terrain, with cliffs in places, is due to the

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

(limestone) underlying the area.

Climate and ecoregion

The official climate designation for the Yelanets Steppe area is "

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

– warm summer sub-type" (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

Dfb), with large seasonal temperature differentials and a warm summer (at least four months averaging over , but no month averaging over . The average temperature in January is and in July. Average annual precipitation is 428 mm.

Flora and fauna

The characteristic vegetation of this type of steppe is

Festuca valesiaca ''Festuca valesiaca'', the Volga fescue, is a species of flowering plant in the family Poaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia. It was introduced to North America when it was deliberately planted.Darbyshire, S. J. and L. E. Pavlick. (2007)''Fes ...

. About one-third of the site is recovered agricultural land that is being returned to native local steppe. 615 species of vascular plants have been listed on the reserve. Scientists working in the reserve have recorded 28 species of mammals including

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

and roe deer,

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 ...

, and

Bobak marmot The bobak marmot (''Marmota bobak''), also known as the steppe marmot, is a species of marmot that inhabits the steppes of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It is a social animal and inhabits steppe grassland, including cultivated field borders. ...

, 137 of birds, 6 of reptiles, and 5 species of amphibians. During 1970s, cattles,

Turkmenian kulan The Turkmenian kulan (''Equus hemionus kulan''), also called Transcaspian wild ass, Turkmenistani onager or simply the ', is a subspecies of onager (Asiatic wild ass) native to Central Asia. It was declared Endangered in 2016. The species's po ...

spotted deer The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also called spotted deer, chital deer and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. A moderate-sized deer, mal ...

, and

mouflon The mouflon (''Ovis gmelini'') is a wild sheep native to Cyprus, and the Caspian region, including eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran. It is also found in parts of Europe. It is thought to be the ancestor of all modern domest ...

were also kept with bisons within semi-feral condition.

Public use

As a strict nature reserve, Yelanets Steppe 's primary purpose is protection of nature and scientific study. Public access is limited: mass recreation and construction of facilities is prohibited as are hunting and fishing. Park staff lead educational programs for local schoolchildren, and general ecological awareness programs for community. In the 1970 the site featured a 70-hectare "living zoo" enclosure that has since been removed and the animals relocated.

References

External links