(Also: "Voronezhky") , iucn_category = ia , photo = File:Usmanka River, Voronezh Nature Reserve.jpg , photo_caption = Usmanka River, Voronezh Nature Reserve , photo_width=300 , map = Russia , relief = yes , map_caption = Location of Reserve , location =

Voronezh Oblast Voronezh Oblast (russian: Воронежская область, Voronezhskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Voronezh. Its population was 2,308,792 as of the 2021 Census. Geography V ...

and

Lipetsk Oblast Lipetsk Oblast (russian: Липецкая область, Lipetskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Lipetsk. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 1,173,513. Geography Lipe ...

, nearest_city =

tbd To be announced (TBA), to be confirmed (TBC), to be determined or decided or declared (TBD), and other variations, are placeholder terms used very broadly in event planning to indicate that although something is scheduled or expected to happen, a ...

, coordinates = , coords_ref = , area = , established = , website=http://zapovednik-vrn.ru/ , governing_body=

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Russia) The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation (russian: Министерство природных ресурсов и экологии Российской Федерации) is a ministry of the Government of Ru ...

Voronezh Nature Reserve (russian: Воронежский заповедник) (also Voronezhsky) is a Russian '

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 which ...

' (strict ecological reserve) located 40 km north of the city

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on ...

and 500 km south of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. One of the oldest nature reserves in Russia, Voronezh was the world's first experimental beaver nursery for breeding and studying the beaver. The reserve is situated in the Usmansky District of

, and in

. It is part of a UNESCO-MAB (Man and Biosphere) Biosphere Reserve. Its official name as of 2013 is "Voronezh Nature Reserve VM Peskov" in honor of journalist and writer

Vasily Peskov Vasily Mikhailovich Peskov (russian: Васи́лий Миха́йлович Песко́в; 14 March 1930 – 12 August 2013) was a Russian writer, journalist, photographer, traveller and ecologist. He worked in the Russian tabloid newspaper '' ...

. The reserve was created in 1927, and covers an area of .

Topography

Voronezh Reserve is situated in the northern part of the Usman Forest, an isolated forest surrounded by steppes in the western outskirts of the lowland plains of the Oka and Don River plains. The forest was formed on the sandy terraces of the left bank of the Voronezh River. The terrain is a rolling plain, flattening east to west. Altitudes range from a high of 165–169 m at the watershed of Voronezh-Usmanka and Usmanka-Baygora, to a low of 90 m in the floodplain areas of the Voronezh. Only 4 km of the Voronezh river itself runs through the reserve; the Usman river is more extensive. It is a typical forest river connecting a chain of lakes, reaching a width of 60 m and a depth of 3–4 meters. The floodplain is low and marshy. The territory belongs to the "Levoberezhny pridolinno" terraced area subzone that is typical of the forest-steppe province of the

Oka–Don Lowland The Oka–Don Lowlands (russian: Окско-Донская равнина) (also: Oka–Don Plain), is a flat plain in European Russia, bounded on the north by the Oka River (and the Meshchera Lowlands), on the south by the Don River, on the west ...

Ecoregion and climate

Voronezh is located in the ''

East European forest steppe The East European forest steppe ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0419) is a patchwork of broadleaf forest stands and grasslands (steppe) that stretches 2,100 km across eastern Europe from the Ural Mountains in Ural, through Povolzhye, Central Russia to the m ...

'' ecoregion, a transition zone between the broadleaf forests of the north and the grasslands to the south. This ecoregion is characterized by a mosaic of forests, steppe, and riverine wetlands. The climate of Voronezh is '' Humid continental climate, warm 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 ...

(Dfb)). This climate is characterized by large swings in temperature, both diurnally and seasonally, with mild summers and cold, snowy winters.

Flora and fauna

The Usman Forest is representative of pine forests growing on sandy deposits along the left bank of the rivers Don and Voronezh. The tree species in the reserve are a combination of pine (32.3% of the total), broad-leaved (mostly oak) (29.3%), aspen (19.3%), birch (5.7%), and black alder (5.2%). There is a problem in the reserve with invasive species from the Americas - particularly the Canadian waterweed, the American maple, and the Saskatoon pigweed. The reserve has recorded over 200 species of plants considered medicinal by local cultures. Over 1,000 species of plants have been recorded in total, and 60 species of mammals. The Voronezh Nature Reserve played an important role in the

Reintroduction of beavers to Europe The Eurasian beaver is the target of several species reintroduction programs in Europe. Historically, beavers have been trapped and hunted for their meat, fur and castoreum, to the point of near extinction. Disappearance from Europe The Eura ...

. From 1934 to 1977, approximately 3,000 Eurasian Beavers from Voronezh were reintroduced to 52 regions of the USSR, from Poland to Mongolia.

Ecotourism

Ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

is a stated goal of the reserve, in addition to preservation of nature and scientific study. There is a nature museum (four large halls, including one devoted to the life of the beaver), and a visitor center open to the public. There is also a working beaver nursery open to the public ("Beaver Town"), as well as a rope park, and an educational ecological trail. As a strict nature reserve, most of the Voronezh Reserve is normally closed to the general public, however, scientists and those with 'environmental education' purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. The managers generally require permits to be obtained in advance. There is also a museum devoted to Vasily Peskov, the official namesake of the reserve.

References

External links