Home

Physical Geography
  Tectonics and Geology
  Climatic Change
  Climate at Present and in the Past
  Soils
  Rivers, Lakes, Seas and Wetlands
  Permafrost
  Biodiversity

Biomes & Regions
  Arctic Environments
  Boreal Forests
  Mixed and Deciduous Forests
  Steppe and Forest-steppe
  Arid Environments
  The Mountains of Northern Russia
  The Mountains of Southern Siberia
  The Caucasus
  The Mountains of Central Asia
  Lake Baikal
  The Far East

Environmental Problems
  Radioactive Contamination
  Oil and Gas Development
  Air Pollution
  The Aral Sea Problems
  Deforestation and Degradation of Forests
  Nature Protection and Conservation

Images of Russian Nature
  Geographic Index
  Systematic Index
  Alphabetical Index

Nature Reserves and
National Parks:

  Northern Russia   Central Russia   Povolzhye (Volga river basin)   Southern Russia   Ural Mountains   Western Siberia   Eastern Siberia   Far East

Ôîòîãðàôèè ïðèðîäû Ðîññèè
  Ãåîãðàôè÷åñêèé êàòàëîã
  Ñèñòåìàòè÷åñêèé êàòàëîã
  Àëôàâèòíûé êàòàëîã

Ýêîëîãè÷åñêèé Öåíòð Ýêîñèñòåìà íà Facebook Ýêîëîãè÷åñêèé Öåíòð Ýêîñèñòåìà ÂÊîíòàêòå

Þòóá êàíàë Ýêîñèñòåìà YouTube EcosystemaRu

Ñêà÷àòü íàøè ïðèëîæåíèÿ èç ìàãàçèíà RuStore
Ñêà÷àòü íàøè ïðèëîæåíèÿ èç ìàãàçèíà RuMarket Ñêà÷àòü ïðèëîæåíèÿ Ýêîñèñòåìû èç ìàãàçèíà NashStore
Ñêà÷àòü ïðèëîæåíèÿ Ýêîñèñòåìû èç ìàãàçèíà GetApps Xiaomi
Ñêà÷àòü ïðèëîæåíèÿ Ýêîñèñòåìû ÝêîÃèä èç ìàãàçèíà Google Play / Play Market
Ñêà÷àòü ïðèëîæåíèÿ Ýêîñèñòåìû ÝêîÃèä èç AppStore / iTunes
Âèäåî-360 ïî ýêîëîãèè íà íàøåì Youtube êàíàëå

Bird Decoys for European Birds: Songs, Calls, Sounds, Bird voices - application for Android download from Google Play / Play Market for free





( ) : : = = + +


Russian Nature

Home | Physical Geography | Biomes & Regions | Environmental Problems | Images of Russian Nature | Nature Reserves

Our Field Ecology Center published more than 180 methodical materials for nature studies. Some of them are in English:
Mobile educational application: Ecological Field Studies Techniques on Play.Google Mobile field guide Birds of North America: Songs and Calls Decoys on Play.Google WILD FLOWERS OF RUSSIA Field Identification Guide on Play.Google Mobile field guide Birds of Russia on Play.Google Mobile field guide Birds of Russia Songs, Calls and Voices on Play.Google Mobile field guide Birds of Europe Songs, Calls and Voices on Play.Google Mobile field guide Birds of Europe Songs, Calls and Voices on Play.Google
Mobile Educational Apps and Field Identification Guides for Russian, European and American Birds
Applications for Android and iOS are available at GooglePlay and AppStore


Please put an active hyperlink to our site (www.rusnature.info) when you copy the materials from this page

Russian Zapovedniks and National Parks

<<< National Park "Chavash Varmane" | Index and Map | Zapovednik "Astrakhansky" >>>

Povolzhye

The list of the Povolzhye Region Zapovedniks (Nature Reserves) and National Parks:

This fairly small but densely populated region comprises oblasts (regions) and republics situated along the lower reaches of the Volga River (Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan region, Chuvashia, Tataria and Kalmykia). Since in Soviet times, numerous big hydroelectric power stations were constructed on the Volga, the great Russian river has been regulated, containing a continuous system of reservoirs from Cheboksary to Volgograd. The water in them is well heated. In addition, the water is polluted by the effluents of industrial enterprises, and therefore the fish often perish there.

Only the lowest reaches of the Volga where the river is separated into numerous channels that have retained their original outlook. The Volga Delta, which stretches from north-east to south-west almost 200 km, is characterized by an exceptionally rich wildlife — there breed hundreds of thousand of waterfowl and waterbirds, including numerous species of pelicans, herons, cormorants, spoonbills, gulls, and bald coots. On the flyway, one can see almost all the species of swans, geese and ducks breeding in the European Russia.

The fish fauna is no less rich, comprising over 60 species, Cyprinidae being the most numerous, including the common carp, carp bream, occur in the lower reaches of the Volga River. The most valuable are Acipenseridae, which each year migrate from the Caspian Sea to the Volga spawning grounds.

After the huge hydroelectric power stations were constructed, the water level in the lower reaches of the Volga River varies to affect the entire life of the local dwellers.

Ecologists are particularly concerned about the development of the Astrakhan gas processing project.

The northern part of the Region lies on the junction of mixed forests and forest-steppes, hence, the landscapes there are highly variable and picturesque. Particularly well known are the ancient pine forests situated on the southern edge of their distribution range (e.g., the Raifskii Forest in the "Volzhsko-Kamsky" Reserve" near Kazan and the plots of pine forests in Zhiguli), and also the famous Privolzhye oak forests glorified in myths and tales. In combination with the oak tree and other deciduous forests, the pine forms some very complex plantations which have been retained in a fairly original forth, only in some individual protected areas.

As the entire forest-steppe zone Povolzhye has been exposed, to intensive economic development, and the entire nature of the region has been disturbed. However, there occur such common forest species as the moose, wild boar, roe deer, marten, lynx, and the squirrel. In not so distant past, the famous Zhiguli Mountains were home to bears, which became extinct in the middle of the 19-th century. Some present dwellers of Povolzhye were acclimatized there in the 1930s (the axis deer, raccoon dog, American mink).

Farther to the south, the forest steppe is primarily replaced by the steppe and subsequently, by semi-desert landscapes. It is exactly semideserts that encompass the lower reaches of the Volga River, and take up a considerable portion of the Cis-Caspian Lowland within Kalmykia. The numerous natural features there are associated with variation of the Caspian See Level — this ancient salt lake, which is characterized by variability and fluctuation of the volume. Some areas, e.g., Elton and Baskunchak lakes lie below the sea level, although near them the steppe mountain Bogdo is located, which rises almost to 200 m.

Characteristic are the wormwood steppes and solonchaks, where grow some specific plants adapted to local conditions (tamarisk, black wormwood, biurgun saltwort, various grasses and even lichens).

The great space which has been constantly increasing during the recent years, is taken up by sands, whose intensive development is also associated with modification by man, namely, by overgrazing of sheep. These landscapes are characterized by a very peculiar fauna — the steppe corsac fox, various sousliks, hamsters, gerbils. Of particular interest is the saiga — steppe antelope, the dweller of the semideserts of Kalmykia and the Astrakhan Region. It was almost extinct at the beginning of our century, but its numbers were not only restored, but in the 1960s-1970s it was harvested on a massif scale. However, due to overharvest and construction of numerous irrigation canals, the saigas are again hard up, and special measures are called for to save them.

The semidesert zone is characterized by a large number of various water bodies — from large lakes and reservoirs to small ponds. They all attract numerous birds and other members of the local fauna. Hence, the wildlife of the semidesert Povolzhye is fairly rich and diverse and needs to be strictly protected.

The list of the Povolzhye Region Zapovedniks (Nature Reserves) and National Parks:

 

<<< National Park "Chavash Varmane" | Index and Map | Zapovednik "Astrakhansky" >>>

 

 


Recommend this page to your friends:


* *