Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve
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The Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve (russian: Нижнесвирский заповедник, lit. ''Lower Svir Zapovednik'') is a 416 km² (131 sq mi)
zapovednik Zapovednik (russian: заповедник, plural , from the Russian , 'sacred, prohibited from disturbance, committed o protect committed o heritage; ) is an established term on the territory of the former Soviet Union for a protected area which ...
in
Lodeynopolsky District Lodeynopolsky District (russian: Лодейнопо́льский райо́н) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #63-oz district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Leningrad Oblast, seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, ...
of
Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
,
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-ei ...
, established on June 11, 1980 to protect landscapes of the eastern shore of
Lake Ladoga Lake Ladoga (; rus, Ла́дожское о́зеро, r=Ladozhskoye ozero, p=ˈladəʂskəjə ˈozʲɪrə or rus, Ла́дога, r=Ladoga, p=ˈladəɡə, fi, Laatokka arlier in Finnish ''Nevajärvi'' ; vep, Ladog, Ladoganjärv) is a fresh ...
.


Geography

The nature reserve occupies lowlands on the right bank of the lower
Svir River The Svir (, Veps: , Karelian/ Finnish: ) is a river in Podporozhsky, Lodeynopolsky, and Volkhovsky districts in the north-east of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It flows westwards from Lake Onega to Lake Ladoga, thus connecting the two larges ...
, including a portion of the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga and its waters. The zapovednik's northern border coincides with the border of the
Republic of Karelia The Republic of Karelia (russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия, Respublika Kareliya; ; krl, Karjalan tašavalta; ; fi, Karjalan tasavalta; vep, Karjalan Tazovaldkund, Ludic: ''Kard’alan tazavald''), also known as just Karelia (ru ...
. The areas across the border belong to Olonetsky Zakaznik. About 30% of the reserve is swamp and peat bog, with additional transient fens and wetlands. The forests are coniferous spruce with an under-story of blueberry bush and shrub. The terrain features sand ridges left by the retreating glaciers in the last Ice Age. The reserve is in the
Scandinavian and Russian taiga The Scandinavian and Russian taiga is an ecoregion within the taiga and boreal forests biome as defined by the WWF classification (ecoregion PA0608). It is situated in Northern Europe between tundra in the north and temperate mixed forests in ...
ecoregion, and has a
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 freez ...
( Köppen's Dfb).


History

It was first proposed in the 1950s that protected areas on the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga be created. At the time, the proposals were rejected by the authorities. The expansion and the industrial growth of the city of
Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
caused considerable impact on the ecology of surrounding areas, and it was again proposed that a protected area be established to study this impact. In 1976 a large-scale program started, and, in particular, Nizhnesvirsky Zakaznik was established. Eventually, the
zakaznik Zakaznik (russian: зака́зник, зака́зники, transliterated: ''zakaznik, zakazniki''; uk, singular: заказни́к or зака́зник; plural: заказники́ or зака́зники, transliterated: ''zakaznyk'', ''zak ...
was transformed into a nature reserve in 1980.


Fauna and flora

It is an important stopover location for
migratory birds Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting b ...
. The predominant tree species is
Scots Pine ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and orang ...
. A considerable area is occupied by swamps. Forty species of mammals occur in the nature reserve. Big mammals include
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 k ...
,
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 ...
, and
lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, ...
.


See also

* List of Russian Nature Reserves (class 1a 'zapovedniks')


References


External links


Map of Nizhnevirsky Reserve, ProtectedPlanet
{{Russian Zapovedniks Nature reserves in Russia Geography of Leningrad Oblast Protected areas established in 1980 1980 establishments in Russia Zapovednik