Kerzhinski Nature Reserve (russian: Керженский) (also Kerzhensky) is a Russian ' zapovednik' (strict nature reserve) located in the middle basin of the

Kerzhenets River The Kerzhenets (russian: Керженец) is a river in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Volga, joining the Volga near Lyskovo, about 70 km east of Nizhny Novgorod. It is long, and has a drainage basin of ...

(a left-bank tributary of the Volga), east of Moscow. The terrain features extensive upland and lowland

swamps A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

, and is known in particular as a site for the study of beavers, and their effects on recovery of the landscape after fires and logging. The reserve is situated 55 km northeast of the City of Nizhny Novgorod in the Bor and Semonov districts of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. The site has been a center for scientific study of nature of the region since 1933. It is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, Ramsar wetland. The reserve was established in its current form in 1993, and covers an area of .

Topography

The reserve is roughly 25 km across, and 40 km north of the Volga as it flows due east at this point. The north and west half of the reserve are forested, and the south and east are riverine wetlands. 80% of the territory is in the lowlands of the Kerzhenets river basin. The bedrock is Permian clay, marl and limestone overlain by 5 to 30 meters of alluvial sediments. The banks of the tributaries of the Kerzhenets are marked by outcrops of carbonate rocks.

Climate and Ecoregion

Kerzhinski is located towards the eastern edge of the '' East European forest steppe'' ecoregion. This ecoregion is a patchwork of broadleaf forest stands and grasslands (steppe) that stretches 2,100 km across eastern Europe from the middle of Ukraine to the Ural Mountains in Russia. The forest-steppe is an area of Russia in which precipitation and evaporation are approximately equal. The climate of Kerzhinski is '' Humid continental climate, cool summer'' ( Köppen climate classification '' (Dfb)''). This climate is characterized by large swings in temperature, both diurnally and seasonally, with mild summers and cold, snowy winters. The average January temperature is -12 C, July is 19 C. Annual precipitation averages 550 mm. Winds in the summer are from the northwest, but from the south and west the remainder of the year.

Flora and fauna

The landscape displays features of Eastern European mixed forest, particularly peat bogs, pine forests (60% of the territory) and alder-birch forests (35% of the reserve) in the lower wetter regions, with associated plants and animals. The remainder of the landscape is swamp and transitional mire. The area was subject to extensive tree loss (to logging and fires, particularly a disastrous fire in 1972 that killed 20% of the trees), so the stands are mostly middle-aged or younger. A recent study of the reserve recorded 103 species of

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

, 283 of mushrooms, 205 of lichens, 160 of

bryophytes The Bryophyta s.l. are a proposed taxonomic division containing three groups of non-vascular land plants (embryophytes): the liverworts, hornworts and mosses. Bryophyta s.s. consists of the mosses only. They are characteristically limited i ...

and 593 species of vascular plants. Because the reserve is in a transitional zone on the edges of three regions - taiga, broadleaf forest, and

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

- it has animals that are representative of each. Taiga species include

caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

, wolverine and

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

. Broadleaf forests to the west contribute martens,

minks Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

, and

wood mice The wood mouse (''Apodemus sylvaticus'') is a murid rodent native to Europe and northwestern Africa. It is closely related to the yellow-necked mouse (''Apodemus flavicollis'') but differs in that it has no band of yellow fur around the neck, ha ...

. Steppe species include voles, hedgehogs, and field mice. Throughout are the larger mammals of the woods: wolf,

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, badger, stoat, weasel, and

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

. Part of the work of the reserve is experimenting with the re-introduction and recovery of species that have been lost to the territory. Current reintroduction efforts are focused on the

muskrat The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitat ...

, the Willow ptarmigan, and the forest reindeer.

Ecotourism

As a strict nature reserve, the Kerzhenski 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 three main 'ecotourist' routes that have been developed for tourists: a floodplain tour, a swamp tour, and a forest tour. The reserve has also opened a visitor center. The main office is in the town of Rustai.

References

External links