Zapovedniks

Ever wonder what Russians do to preserve all that beautiful land? Similar to American state parks and preserved lands, the Russians have Zapovedniks that stretch across the entire country. However, these areas greatly outnumber other nature conservation attempts and are the top category of scientific nature conservation in the world. The first one began in 1916 on the shore of Lake Baikal (eastern Russia) and is called Barguzinsky. Today, there are over 100 Zapovedniks across Russia and they cover more than 33.5 million hectares (82.7 million acres). They not only cover a majority of the country but work to protect biomes from the tundra to the prairies and from one shore to the next. These Zapodevniks are essential in keeping diverse groups of animals controlled and protected as well as combating pollution by preserving these lands.

The Kostomukshsky Zapovednik in the Kora-Karelia Region of Russia (Northwest area):

It protects moose, reindeer, wolves, brown bears, rodents, lynx, and mountain hares. Brown bears are becoming increasingly popular due to the abolition of poaching. It covers the watershed region of Russia's NW. Here's a few pictures:

The area is also known for the abundance of lakes and streams that flow through it from the Baltic Sea as well as its boreal forests.

These Zapovedniks are very important for the preservation of Russia's wildlife. After all, we know Russia as the Wild East and understand Siberia as an uninhabited wasteland. However, Russia's beauty far surpasses any of what we have seen in the United States. Nothing is quite as wild as Russia =].

Pictures and information courtesy of: http://www.wild-russia.org/html/tour.htm