Upper Taz Nature Reserve
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Upper Taz Nature Reserve (russian: Верхне-Тазовский заповедник) (also Verkhne-Tazovsky) is a
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
'
zapovednik Zapovednik (russian: заповедник, plural , from the Russian , 'sacred, prohibited from disturbance, committed o protect committed o heritage; ) is an established term on the territory of the former Soviet Union for a protected area whi ...
' (strict nature reserve) at the geographic center of the Russia Empire. It is on the upper reaches of the
Taz River The Taz (russian: Таз) is a river located in western Siberia, has a length of and drains a basin estimated at . Its middle and lower course are located within Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, while its upper course borders with Krasnoyarsk Kra ...
, on the east-central edge of the
West Siberian Plain The West Siberian Plain (russian: За́падно-Сиби́рская равни́на ''Zapadno-Sibirskaya ravnina'') is a large plain that occupies the western portion of Siberia, between the Ural Mountains in the west and the Yenisei River ...
, about 700 km north of the city of
Tomsk Tomsk ( rus, Томск, p=tomsk, sty, Түң-тора) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, located on the Tom River. Population: Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. The city is a not ...
. The reserve is one of the largest in Russia, and is an important spawning ground for fish such as salmon and trout, and also protects fur-bearing animals such as the sable and ermine. It is divided into two forests - Pokolskoe and Taz, protecting the left bank of the Ratta River. The reserve is situated in the
Krasnoselkupsky District Krasnoselkupsky District (russian: Красносельку́пский райо́н, Selkup: Нярӄый щёй ӄумый район) is an administrativeLaw #42-ZAO and municipalLaw #41-ZAO district (raion), one of the seven in Yamalo-Nenets A ...
of
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YaNAO; russian: Яма́ло-Не́нецкий автоно́мный о́круг (ЯНАО), ; yrk, Ямалы-Ненёцие автономной ӈокрук, ) or Yamalia (russian: Ямалия) is a fed ...
.


Topography

The Upper Taz Reserve protects the basin of the Ratta River, which enters the Taz River at the northern border of the reserve. The boundaries stretch 150 km north to south, and 70 km west to east. The terrain is typical of the Upper Taz hills: hilly moraine ridges (on average 50 meters), in a strongly dissected landscape of rivers and streams. The territory is bounded on the north by the Taz, and is to the west of the basin of the
Yenisei River The Yenisey (russian: Енисе́й, ''Yeniséy''; mn, Горлог мөрөн, ''Gorlog mörön''; Buryat: Горлог мүрэн, ''Gorlog müren''; Tuvan: Улуг-Хем, ''Uluğ-Hem''; Khakas: Ким суғ, ''Kim suğ''; Ket: Ӄук ...
. Besides the Ratta, the other major river of the area is the Pokolku River. The tributary rivers have many rapids and shoals. The Upper Taz reserve includes the highest point in the surrounding
Siberian Uvaly Siberian Uvaly (russian: Сибирские Увалы) is a hilly region in the central part of the West Siberian Plain, Russia. A sector of the hills is a protected area under the name Upper Taz Nature Reserve, which was established in Decembe ...
, at 285 meters above sea level.


Climate and ecoregion

Upper Taz is located in the ''
West Siberian taiga West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
'' ecoregion, a region that covers the West Siberian Plain, from the Urals to the Central Siberian Plateau. It is an area of extensive conifer boreal forests, and also extensive wetlands, including bogs and mires. The climate of Upper Taz is '' Humid continental climate, cool summer'' (
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
Subartic climate(Dfc)). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1-3 months above ) and cold, snowy winters (coldest month below ).


Flora and fauna

The reserve is about 75% forest, 15% swamp. The forests are light, with pine trees on the sandy terraces making up 60% of the trees, cedar 17%, larch 12%, birch 7%, spruce 3% and aspen 1%. The understory is relatively clear, mostly pine. To the extent a shrub layer exists, it is found in sparse clumps of juniper and rosehip. The most common mammals are brown bear, otter, American mink, ermine, and fox; the moose population in the territory numbers perhaps 300 individuals. Wolves appear in the fall as the elk are migrating through. The upper reaches of the Taz escaped most logging, and forest animals of the Euro-Asian boundaries have found refuge in isolated areas. Scientists on the reserve have recorded 68 species of vertebrates, and 98 species of birds. Most of the bird biodiversity is in the floodplains. The upper reaches of the Taz are important spawning and wintering grounds for salmon and whitefish.


Ecoeducation and access

As a strict nature reserve, the Upper Taz 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 a number of 'ecotourist' routes in the reserve, however, that are open to the public, but require permits to be obtained in advance. The main office is in the village of Krasnoselkup, which is far from the territory itself. Guided ecotours are conducted by boat, snowmobile, and on foot.


See also

* List of Russian Nature Reserves (class 1a 'zapovedniks') *
Lake Dynda Lake Dynda () is a freshwater lake in Turukhansky District, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. The lake is located in the Upper Taz Nature Reserve. Geography The lake lies in the basin of the Taz river, close to its source, and near the basin of the Yelo ...


References


External links


Map of Verkhne-Tazovsky Reserve, ProtectedPlanet

Official website of the reserve
{{Russian Zapovedniks Nature reserves in Russia Protected areas established in 1986 1986 establishments in Russia Geography of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Taz basin West Siberian Plain Tourist attractions in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Zapovednik