Rdeysky Nature Reserve, Rdeysky 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 northwest 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 Poddorsky and Kholmsky Districts of

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located in the oblast. The historic m ...

, in the Polist-Lovat Swamp System. The reserve is about 180 km southeast of the city of

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

. It was established on May 25, 1994. The nature reserve is created to protect the

raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation (ombro ...

ecosystems of the Northwestern Russia.

Location and geography

The area of the reserve is elongated from southeast to northwest and is adjacent to the border between Novgorod and

Pskov Oblast Pskov Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the west of the country. Its administrative center is the Classification of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Pskov. As of the Russian Census ...

s. At the other side of the border, in Pskov Oblast, the nature reserve continues as

Polistovsky Nature Reserve Polistovsky Nature Reserve, Polistovsky Zapovednik () is a strict nature reserve (a '' zapovednik'') in the northwest of Russia, located in Bezhanitsky and Loknyansky Districts of Pskov Oblast, in the Polist-Lovat Swamp System. The reserve i ...

. Rdeysky Nature Reserve belongs to the river basins of the

Lovat River The Lovat (, ; ) is a river in Vitebsk Oblast of Belarus, Usvyatsky, Velikoluksky, and Loknyansky Districts, as well as of the city of Velikiye Luki, of Pskov Oblast and Kholmsky, Poddorsky, Starorussky, and Parfinsky Districts of Novg ...

and the

Polist River The Polist () is a river in Bezhanitsky District of Pskov Oblast and in Poddorsky District, Poddorsky and Starorussky District, Starorussky Districts, as well as in the town of Staraya Russa of Novgorod Oblast of Russia. It is technically a tributa ...

, though none of them flows through the reserve. Lake Rdeyskoye, a major lake at the northwest of the reserve of which a part of the shore belongs to the reserve, is the source of the

Redya River The Redya () is a river in Kholmsky, Poddorsky, Starorussky, and Parfinsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Lovat. It is long, and the area of its basin . The source of the Redya is in Lake Rdeyskoye in ...

, a major left tributary of the

History

There are currently no villages at the territory of the reserve; however, in the past it was populated, and the last village existed until

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The villages were located on islands in the middle of the swamp, and their inhabitants were collecting timber. Small-scale timber production was continuing after the war as well, but the area was too remote to support the settlements. No irrigation work has ever been performed in the area, and the raised bogs remain intact. In 1994, both Rdeysky and Polistovsky Nature Reserves were established to protect the area.

Ecoregion and climate

The reserve is located in one of the most southerly locations of 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. This ecoregion is situated in Northern Europe between tundra in the north and temperate mixed forests in the south. The climate is '' Humid continental climate, warm summer'' (

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)). This climate is characterized by large swings in temperature, both diurnally and seasonally, with mild summers and cold, snowy winters

Flora

The area mostly consists of

s. Forest grows on the islands on the bog. The main types forest are coniferous forests based on

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

and broadleaf forest, based on

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

and linden.

Birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

and

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...

appeared as derivative forest from oak and linden. Around 400 species of plants grow in the reserve.

Fauna

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 specialize ...

is a critically endangered mammal species which is resident in the reserve. The reserve hosts the largest population of

Eurasian curlew The Eurasian curlew or common curlew (''Numenius arquata'') is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred ...

in Europe.

References

External links

Map of Rydesky, from OpenStreetMap.org
{{Russian Zapovedniks Geography of Novgorod Oblast Nature reserves in Russia Protected areas established in 1994 1994 establishments in Russia Zapovednik