Basegi Nature Reserve (, also Bassegi) is a Russian '

zapovednik A zapovednik is an established term on the Post-Soviet states, territory of the former Soviet Union for a protected area which is kept "forever wild". It is the highest degree of environmental protection for the assigned areas, which are strictly ...

' (strict nature reserve) along the Basegi Ridge in the Middle

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.

. "Basegi" means "spectacular", "beautiful" in the local Urals Russian dialect. It is relatively untouched by commercial use, and thus the area has scientific value as a "reference site" for spruce-fir forests of the Urals. It also supports a spawning habitat for trout and grayling. The main rivers are the Usva (northern border of nature reserve) and the Vilva (southern border). There are also some small rivers that have rapids typical of mountain rivers. The reserve is situated in the Gremyachinsk area of

Perm Krai Perm Krai (, ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a Krais of Russia, krai), located in Eastern Europe. Its administrative center is Perm, Russia, Perm. The population of the krai was 2,532,405 (2021 Russian census, 2021 ...

Topography

The reserve covers the Basegi Ridge, which runs north-south, and is divided into three sections (Southern, Middle and Northern Basegi) by steep ravines. The Basegi's geology is stable Lower Paleozoic and Proterozoic

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...

facing the surface with lesser amounts of granite and diabase. The main rivers are the Usva (northern border of the nature reserve) and the Vilva (southern border). There is also a network of smaller rivers.

Climate and ecoregion

Basegi is located in the '' Urals montane tundra and taiga'' ecoregion, a region that covers the Ural Mountains in a band that is narrow from west-east, but runs up most of the divide between European and Asiatic Russia. The region is a meeting zones of taiga and tundra tree and plant species. The climate of Basegi is '' Humid continental climate, cool summer'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

Subarctic climate(Dfc)). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1–3 months above ) and cold, snowy winters (coldest month below ).

Flora and fauna

There are more than 250 species of plants in the nature reserve, among them more 45 are rare. Many species of mosses and lichens, 50 species of mammals, more than 180 species of birds, 1 species of reptile, 17 species of fish and 3 species of amphibians. The fauna is typical for

taiga Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. In North A ...

. Species, protected by Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, include: *Lichens: '' Lobaria pulmonaria'' *Plants: ''Calypso'' orchid *Invertebrates: clouded Apollo butterfly and others *Fishes: ''

Hucho taimen Siberian taimen (''Hucho taimen''), also known as the common taimen (), Siberian giant trout or Siberian salmon, is a species of salmon-like ray-finned fish from the genus '' Hucho'' in the family Salmonidae. These fish are found in rivers in Si ...

'' and others *Birds:

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

Eurasian curlew The Eurasian curlew or common curlew (''Numenius arquata'') is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred ...

, white-tailed eagle,

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

, black stork,

Eurasian eagle-owl The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl, a type of bird that resides in much of Eurasia. It is often just called the eagle-owl in Europe and Asia. It is one of the largest species of owl. Females can grow to a total le ...

and others. The reserve has a large community of shrews, of 6 species. In some years, the body mass of shrews can total over 70% of the total weight of vertebrates in the territory.

Ecotourism

As a strict nature reserve, the Basegi 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 is an 'ecotourist' hiking route to the top of North Basegi Mountain in the reserve, however, that is open to the public. Permits must be obtained in writing in advance. The main office is in the city of Gremyachinsk.

References

External links