Khingan Nature Reserve ( ''Khinganskiy zapavyednik'') (also Khingansky) is a Russian '

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 ...

' (strict nature reserve), located in the extreme south-east of the

Amur River The Amur River () or Heilong River ( zh, s=黑龙江) is a perennial river in Northeast Asia, forming the natural border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China (historically the Outer and Inner Manchuria). The Amur ''proper'' is ...

region of the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

. The reserve covers two types of habitat: the flat Arkharinskaya lowlands with abundant wetlands, and forested spurs of the

Lesser Khingan Lesser Khingan ( zh, c=小兴安岭, p=Xiǎo Xīng'ān Lǐng; , ''Maly Khingan'') is a mountain range in China's Heilongjiang province and the adjacent parts of Russia's Amur Oblast and Jewish Autonomous Oblast.

mountains. In particular, Khingan Reserve was created to protect steppe and forest-steppe landscapes, and nesting sites of the endangered

Red-crowned crane The red-crowned crane (''Grus japonensis''), also called the Manchurian crane (; the Chinese character '丹' means 'red', '頂/顶' means 'crown (anatomy), crown' and '鶴/鹤' means 'crane'), is a large East Asian Crane (bird), crane among the ...

(Ussuri crane) and the vulnerable White-naped crane. The reserve is situated in the Arkharinsky District of

Amur Oblast Amur Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located on the banks of the Amur and Zeya rivers in the Russian Far East. The oblast borders Heilongjiang province of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the south. The administrati ...

Topography

The Khingan Nature reserve is divided into two separate sections, one on the Amur-Zeya-Bureya intermountain plains (about 70% of the area), and one in the low rugged hills of the left bank of the Amur River (70% of the area). The lowlands are Quaternary lakes and rivers of alluvial and sedimentary rocks. The mountain section averages 200–400 meters in height, with the highest point (Mount Erakticha) being 504 meters in altitude.

Climate and ecoregion

Khingan is located in the '' Amur meadow steppe'' ecoregion. This is a low-lying fertile floodplain, with patches of deciduous subtaiga forests. Situated in the middle Amur River in the Russian Far East, and northeast China, trees are generally found only in the upland areas, due to the frequent flooding of the plains. Species endemism is low, in part because the area was not glaciated in the latest Ice Age. The climate of Khingan is ''Humid Continental Climate'' (

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 ...

'' (Dwb)''). High variation in temperature, both daily and seasonally; with dry winters and cool summers. January has an average temperature -27 C. July averages +21 C.

Flora and fauna

The vegetation and animals of the Khingan Reserve is marked by the interpenetration of different floristic groups, with a wide variety of growing conditions and microclimate, in the intersection of plains grassland, wetlands (including sphagnum bogs), and larch and cedar-broad-leaf forest habitats. The plains section of the reserve exhibit Far Eastern forest-steppe type terrain, typically sedge, reed grass, and mixed grass meadows interspersed with islands of birch forest. The mountainous section exhibits Far East broad-leaf forest terrain. Grus japonensis in flight at Akan International Crane Center

Grus japonensis in flight at Akan International Crane Center

Animals in the reserve are a mixture of the typical residents of both East Siberian forests and the Manchurian region: large ungulates (roe deer, wapiti, wild boar) and forest dwellers (chipmunk, squirrel, wolf, fox, brown bear, sable, elk). Over 290 species of birds have been recorded, both waterfowl for the wetland habitats and predators of the forests. The most common fish in the lakes are carp, minnow and loach, in the rivers the most common fish are grayling.

Ecotourism

As a strict nature reserve, the reserve is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with 'environmental education' purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. There are 'ecotourist' routes, such as to 'White Bird Lake', however, that are open to the public, but arrangements must be made at the main office. Reserve staff give guided tours to the lakes to see the flowering of the Kormorov Lotus from mid-July to mid-August. Tour groups are welcome by arrangement and over a thousand visitors are received each year. There are rustic accommodations available in some of the buffer areas. The reserve currently runs a volunteer program for groups willing to help with conservation activities in the field. The main office, which also has a small nature museum and wildlife nursery open to the public, is in the town of Arkhara.

References

External links