In the modern world, we very often forget about the nature around us, more and more breaking away from it every year. Cities are growing, new freeways are being built, displacing natural and beautiful landscapes from our lives. The role of conservation of natural flora and fauna was taken by special territories - reserves. In our country, more than a hundred protected areas have been created, and the steppe reserves of Russia occupy an important place in this system.
What is a nature reserve?
It is customary to consider a certain section of the territory (or water area) within the limits of which the entire natural complex is preserved in a holistic and natural form.
Historians believe that the first attempts to protect the natural environment took place in the III century BC, in Sri Lanka. It was there that the very first law on the protection of wildlife was published in the world. The first territory with conservation status appeared in the 13th century in Ifricia, when the Hafsid dynasty forbade hunting in the vicinity of one of the lakes.
From the point of view of modern domestic law, the state nature reserves of Russia are special scientific institutions created with the aim of preserving and studying natural processes and ecological systems.
Targets and goals
All protected reserves of Russia have the same tasks:
- Conservation of the gene pool of flora and fauna.
- Preservation of the integrity of natural ecosystems.
- Preservation of the diversity of plant and animal communities.
- The implementation of scientific research in vivo.
All state reserves of Russia, and not only Russia, are built on a single principle. Three main zones can be distinguished in their structure:
- core of the reserve;
- buffer (scientific) zone;
- security zone (transitional between the reserve itself and the adjacent unguarded territories).
Both the large reserves of Russia and the small ones have such a structure. These three zones are characteristic for structures of different rank and size.
The history of nature conservation in Russia
Almost all the reserves of Russia whose names you will find in this article, one way or another, have a long history of their origin.
The first such zone in Russia was formed back in 1917. This is the Barguzinsky reserve in Buryatia. Later, the list of protected areas of the country only replenished. Such large reserves of Russia as Astrakhan, Caucasus and Ilmensky can also be attributed to the oldest. All of them arose in the 20s of the twentieth century. But the youngest can be considered the Utrish Reserve, which was founded in 2010. In addition, in the period until 2020, it is planned to create in Russia another 11 new conservation areas.
Reserves of Russia: list of steppe reserves
According to 2014 data, there are 103 nature reserves in the Russian Federation. They all occupy a total area of 340,000 square kilometers. This is a huge territory that can be compared with the area of such a European state as Finland.
Of this number 11 reserves can be attributed to the steppe. We list these nature reserves in Russia. A list of them is given below:
- Astrakhan,
- Belogorye
- Voroninsky,
- Voronezh
- Daursky
- East Ural
- "Galicia Mountain",
- Orenburg
- Rostov,
- "Volga forest-steppe",
- "Black lands".
All Russian reserves, the names of which are listed, are assigned to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology. Two of them - East Ural and "Maiden Mountain" - are subordinate to other departments.
The phenomenon of the Russian steppe
The Russian steppe is a unique and inimitable natural phenomenon. The steppe reserves of Russia, with their field grasses and matted silver feather grass, resemble a horse's mane.
Interestingly, the idea of creating such protected areas originated in the steppe. An outstanding soil scientist and agronomist Vasily Dokuchaev spoke about such a need a hundred years ago. Nevertheless, in Russia there was not a single reserve in the steppe until the 90s. The first steppe reserve was the Orenburg, which was organized on the initiative of Alexander Alexandrovich Chibilev in 1989.
Steppe Reserve "Orenburg"
It arose in May 1989, today it covers an area of over 21 thousand hectares.
The Orenburgsky Steppe Reserve includes 4 separate sites:
- Talovskaya steppe,
- Burtinsky steppe,
- Aituar steppe,
- Ashchisay steppe (the largest plot with an area of 7200 hectares).
Within this territory you can see not only untouched steppes. There are also many monuments of archeology of the 7th-3rd centuries BC. These are the mounds of Sarmatian culture.
The climate of the territory is dry, continental. The average annual air temperature is 2.5 degrees Celsius, and the average annual rainfall is negligible - from 250 to 350 mm. By the degree of moisture, this territory can be safely attributed to semi-deserts.
The flora world of the reserve is diverse: there are 14 species of mushrooms, 150 species of lichens, 8 species of mosses and 1350 species of vascular plants. The fauna of this territory is no less rich: 48 species of mammals, 193 species of birds, 6 species of fish, 526 species of beetles and 184 species of spiders. The territory is predominantly occupied by grass-turf steppes, stony steppes also formed on the hillsides, and desert complexes and communities on saline soils.
About two dozen plants listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation grow in the reserve. Many animals of the Orenburgsky Nature Reserve of Russia are also Red Book. Among them are the steppe bumblebee, avdotka birds, balaban, golden eagle, steppe eagle, bustard and stilt, as well as the common beaver.
"Belogorye"
The steppe reserves of Russia are a real treasure of our country. One of them is the Belogorye Nature Reserve in the Belgorod Region, which has its history since 1924. Then it was called "Forest in Vorskla", and in 1999 it was reorganized into a new conservation area under the modern name.
This protected area is a scientific and environmental educational object of federal significance. Its purpose is the preservation and detailed study of natural processes and phenomena in the forest-steppe zone, as well as the conservation of certain species and communities of flora, fauna and unique ecosystems in the south of the Central Russian Upland.
The territory of the Belogorye nature reserve includes five separate plots that are located in three regions of the region. These are the plots:
- Forest in Vorskla,
- Walls of Foothills,
- Bald Mountains
- Yamskaya steppe,
- Ostrasiev Yary.
The total area of Belogorye is 2131 hectares.
Within the reserve, scientists count 149 different species of birds, as well as about 370 species of vascular plants. The fauna is represented by 50 species of mammals, 15 species of fish, 6 species of reptiles and 9 species of amphibians.
The reserve "Voroninsky"
Large reserves of Russia attract a large number of tourists and naturalists. One of these is the Voroninsky Reserve, located in the forest-steppe zone of the Tambov Region. It was created in 1994 with the aim of protecting the forest-steppe systems of Central Russia. The total area of the territory is over 10,000 hectares, while about 40 kilometers of the Vorona River Valley are located within the reserve.
The structure of the Voroninsky reserve is represented by two large clusters - the Inzhavinsky and Kirsanovsky forests, as well as ten more tracts of smaller area.
The idea of creating a conservation area at this place belonged to V.P. Semenov-Tian-Shansky, a famous Russian geographer. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he proposed organizing here the so-called "ureny park" (urema is a special floodplain forest). The study and restoration of this forest is the main task of the modern reserve.
However, real practical work to develop the concept of the reserve began only in the late 80s of the twentieth century. Specialists in the regional museum of local lore and the Tambov Pedagogical Institute made a great contribution to the organization of the Voroninsky Reserve.
To date, three tourist routes have been developed in the reserve: "Inzhavino-Barskaya Gora", "Reserve Lakes" and "Reserve Trails".
One of the famous attractions of the Voroninsky reserve is the so-called Lysaya Gora - nothing more than a spur of the Volga Upland. The mountain has a relative height of about 50 meters. And although today the mountain is covered with artificial forest plantations, before it really was "bald", so this name has been preserved. By the way, this mountain is a symbol of the village of Inzhavino.
Another attraction of the reserve is a unique willow grove near the village of Semenovka. Her age is over 150 years. However, the willow grove is not only known for this, because it was once painted by the famous artist Mstislav Dobuzhinsky. And now the picture is stored in the Museum of London. Unfortunately, today only a small part of this willow grove has been preserved - many trees were destroyed during the war, as well as as a result of barbaric activity in the 90s.
Rostov
The steppe reserves of Russia amaze and fascinate with their beauties! In 1995, the Rostov Reserve was created on the territory of the Rostov Region, although the prerequisites for its organization were at the end of the XIX century. The idea to create a steppe reserve here was expressed then by the scientist Vasily Dokuchaev, who spent a lot of time and effort exploring the local steppe landscapes.
Rostov Reserve has a federal status and its own administration. It includes four separate plots, the total area of which is more than 9 thousand hectares.
Within the reserve, scientists counted 410 species of vascular plants - mainly cereals, legumes, asteraceae and cloves. Here you can find 4 species of peas, several types of feather grass, camel thorn. The species listed in the Red Book also grow in the reserve: these are Schrenka's tulip, dwarf killer whale, feather grass and other species.
"Black lands"
The largest reserves of Russia amaze with their scale of untouched lands and virgin landscapes. One of the largest in the country is a biosphere reserve with the unusual name "Black Lands", in which sections of the unique Kalmyk steppe are preserved.
The reserve was established in June 1990. The main tasks are the conservation of steppe and semi-desert landscapes, as well as the protection of saiga populations. The total area of the protected area is more than 120 thousand hectares. It is noteworthy that in 1993 the "Black Lands" received the status of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
The flora of the reserve is represented by both steppe and desert plant species. So, on the sandy massifs you can find a camel thorn, a ginger-nose, sand wormwood. In the island part of Lake Manich-Gudilo there are steppes with a feather grass of Lessing. Rare plant species grow here: Talieva cornflower and Schrenka tulip.
The fauna is also represented by steppe and semi-desert species. Saiga, eared hedgehog, small ground squirrel, jerboas are found here. Found in the "Black Lands" ligation and light polecat. Recently, the population of wolves in the reserve has been increasing.
A large number of waterfowl nest in the reserve. This is a mute swan, a geese, a curly pelican, a mallard, a gray duck, a red-headed duck and others. Typically steppe species of birds are also protected here: bustard, lark, strept, buzzard and steppe eagle.
"Volga forest-steppe"
"Volga forest-steppe" is a nature reserve in the Penza region, which includes 5 separate sections:
- Cross-country steppe,
- Ostrovtsov steppe,
- Kuncherovskaya steppe,
- Pine forest in Cadad,
- Verkhnesursky forest plot.
It is located in the forest-steppe zone of the Middle Volga. The reserve was formed in 1989 with the aim of protecting the northern steppes and forests. Today it occupies an area of 8326 hectares. The Volga Steppe is not only a conservation area. The reserve also successfully performs a scientific, research, educational and recreational function. However, the main task of the Volga Steppe is to protect the plant and animal world, as well as their individual representatives and entire ecosystems.
In the "Volga steppe" today there are about 860 species of vascular plants (this, by the way, 55% of the total species composition of the plant world of the Penza region). Of these, about 70 species need special protection, and nine species are even listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. These are four types of feather grasses (feathery feather, beautiful, pubescent and Zalessky feather grass), Russian hazel grouse, leafless iris, red pollen cap, leafless chin-froth and Neottantum kubuchkovaya. 58 species of plants of the reserve are also included in the Red Book of the region.
An interesting object of the reserve is the pine forest in Kadad, or the so-called "Borok", near the village of Shatkino. The area of the pine forest on the banks of the Kadada River is almost 400 hectares. Boron is a complex of artificial pine plantations, as well as oak forests. Most of the area occupied by alder forests and swamps.
This article describes the most famous nature reserves in Russia. Photos of these magnificent corners of our country can also be found here. In our country, more than a hundred protected areas have been created, the purpose of which is to protect the natural environment that surrounds us, protect natural landscapes, restore and preserve individual species of animals and plants. In addition, the protected areas also perform an educational and enlightening function, instilling in the inhabitants of Russia a love of their nature. Most of the reserves also have a huge recreational and tourist potential, and some of them even try to realize it by developing special tourist routes and ecological trails.