Dzhugdzhursky Reserve of Ayano-May District of Khabarovsk Territory: territory, plants and animals

Unfortunately, the active and harsh activity of man on the planet has endangered the extinction of many species of animals and plants. Some of them have already been lost forever, and to preserve others, special zones have appeared-reserves where scientists have the opportunity to study the plant and animal world that is not affected by human exposure. Russia pursues an environmentally sound policy. The Khabarovsk Territory, for example, has on its territory as many as six reserves, which generally boast of preserving more than one thousand different species of plants and animals. Not everyone has a chance in life to visit such a territory, where the wise and simple laws of nature prevail. Therefore, today the topic of our article was the Dzhugdzhursky Reserve - the largest in the Far East.

General description of the reserve

Dzhugdzhursky Reserve is not in vain considered the largest, because its territory exceeds eight hundred and fifty thousand hectares. At the same time, more than fifty-seven thousand hectares of the marine area are included in the protected area. The security zone is two hundred and fifty thousand hectares.

It is interesting, but scientists note that the Dzhugdzhursky Reserve has natural climatic conditions identical to the two ecosystems - the mountain tundra and the mountain taiga. The climate of the western part is quite severe, there are few precipitations, and the temperature drops are frequent and sharp. On the coast, on the contrary, a lot of precipitation falls, and winds often blow. Mists are natural at any time of the year. This is a feature of the reserve, which served as the impetus for the creation of this protected area. Indeed, under such conditions, a large number of endemic plants and animals live.

Dzhugdzhursky reserve: geographical location

Where is the reserve, and how to get there? To get to this zone, you will need to go to the Far East of Russia. Scientists and historians believe that these territories are extremely rich and on many lands it is possible to create reserves to preserve the purity of local places in a pristine state. After all, the loss of this fascinating beauty will be an irreplaceable loss that will change the entire Far East.

In recent years, the Russian Federation has been trying to take care of the protection of protected areas as much as possible. Therefore, for about thirty years on the territory of the country there are zones with a special state status. The Ayano-May district became the place where the largest among the reserves of the Khabarovsk Territory was formed, which became the theme of our today's article.

Natural areas of the reserve

The state nature reserve "Dzhugdzhursky", as we have already specified, covers quite a vast territory. It is located on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, covering the land and several islands.

The Dzhugdzhur Range, which divides the reserve into two parts, actively influences the nature of this region. Everyone who comes here for the first time admires the beauty of this mountainous country, which is often given a characteristic similar to the Alps.

Officially the reserve is divided into three zones or clusters:

• Malmön islands.
• Coastal.
• Dzhugdzhursky.

Each has its own characteristics, as well as flora and fauna.

In addition, the ridge, passing overland, serves as a source of formation of two absolutely different from each other natural zones. It is difficult to get to the southeast, it is mountainous and is located in the coastal strip. The second part is a mountain plateau, where in a large number there are hills, ridges and mountains.

History of the Reserve

Ayano-Mayi district was interesting to zoologists in the distant forty-fifth year of the last century. First of all scientists were concerned about the population of snow sheep, which it was necessary to urgently take under protection. Periodically, zoologists published their observations of animals in this region and strongly recommended the creation of a special zone that would be protected by the state.

In 1984, work began on the design of the future reserve. This mission was entrusted to Professor S. S. Kharkevich. For five years he worked with his assistants to form the boundaries of the nature protection zone. As a result, his work was approved, and it was decided to create a reserve.

The official opening date is September 10, 1990. It is interesting that in the seventeen years of its existence the Dzhugdzhursky Reserve has never changed its director. The permanent head of these territories is Ten Ho Za.

A year after its foundation, the Dzhugdzhursky Reserve expanded its territories, the water area of the Sea of Okhotsk was added to it. Over time, the material and technical database of the territories was updated, and the reserve itself received additional funding from the state more than once.

Goals and objectives of the reserve

It is difficult to overestimate the role of the Dzhugdzhursky Reserve. Protected species of plants and animals are in many ways unique, and therefore need careful study and protection. Moreover, the fate of the water depends on the purity of the mountain rivers, which ensure the inflow of water masses into the Sea of Okhotsk. In addition, many of these waterways are spawning. A special line for the purpose of forming a reserve is the study and conservation of mountain forests. The most common representative of these is the Ayan spruce. It is a real pride of Priokhotya and is carefully guarded by the state.

The tasks of the Dzhugdzhur reserve can be represented as follows:

• The protection of territories for the conservation of biological species and plants;
• Conducting scientific work on the territory of the reserve;
• Ecological monitoring;
• Carrying out of works on ecological education of the population;
• Active assistance in the training of scientists and ordinary specialists in the field of ecology.

I want to note that the administration of the reserve successfully copes with its tasks.

Ecological tourism

The development of the reserve is also promoted by ecological tourism, which in recent years has become increasingly popular among Russians. Here you can travel to individual areas or drive the entire reserve entirely. In any case, you will have something to see. The most popular among tourists are the following places:

Lake Baikalenok

It is not without reason that it has such a spoken name, because its water is so pure that it does not yield to its older "fellow".

The Selenda River

It begins its journey high in the mountains and is calm, but quickly acquires a more recalcitrant character and bursts out of the cliff directly from the cliff, breaking through a hole a meter and a half in diameter. This spectacle is simply impossible to forget, it captivates everyone who saw it with their own eyes.

Zipadinsky caves

These galleries are excellent for speleologists, they consist of surprisingly beautiful calcareous deposits, and here also quite often there are real sculptures of stalactites and stalagmites.

Rivers, where spawning fish

If you have never seen the fish go to spawn, then we advise you to be at the time of the rivers Aldoma and Lantar. Here come pink salmon and sockeye salmon, which can be clearly seen through the clear water. Quite often, from their abundance of tourists, it is even impossible to discern the bottom of the river, because the fish is a continuous and endless dense stream.

Lake Antykan

Here beginners and experienced photographers like to come. They are happy to fix on the camera birds that have chosen the pond and the coastal rocks. The bowl of the lake itself has an elongated shape and resembles a beautiful lagoon. The width of the lake is rather ambiguous, in the widest place it is more than three hundred meters, and in the narrow - does not exceed hundreds of meters.

It is impossible to list all the beauties of the Dzhugdzhur reserve. But his plant and animal world deserve special attention, which we will now talk about.

Dzhugdzhursky reserve: plants

This territory is the only one of its kind and exceeds the other reserves of the Khabarovsk Territory in importance . According to scientists, the flora is represented by seven hundred and fifty three species of plants. Despite the fact that the local climate is quite severe, the plant world of the reserved area is extremely rich. Thirty-three species are included in the Red Book of the Khabarovsk Territory, and six are included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. For example, valerian ayanskaya is noted in each of the listed documents. Many plants are not found anywhere else on the planet, they are considered endemic.

Very seriously, botanists are studying such a plant as Ayan spruce. Externally, it looks like an ordinary spruce, but still belongs to a different species. In height, the trees reach forty meters, and their life cycle sometimes reaches five hundred years. The diameter of the middle trunk usually ranges within a hundred meters.

It grows ayanskaya spruce in areas where there is a lot of rain and a relatively cold summer. It is interesting that this plant is difficult to meet further than four hundred meters from the oceans and the water area of the seas. In the mountains, the spruce feels very good, it can grow at a height of up to five hundred meters. The forests formed by these trees are on the verge of extinction. This is facilitated by active felling of trees by logging teams. The only thing that saves this species is hard-to-reach places of growth. Only in them the Ayan fir can grow calmly.

Separately, I want to tell you about the Venus shoe, this plant was once very common in the taiga forests, but is now listed in the Red Book.

Taiga Orchid

Venus is a large-colored slipper - an unusual plant that deserves to live on our planet. It is often called an orchid, which has some grounds. After all, the plant belongs to the Orchid family.

It is interesting that the flower perfectly exists in symbiosis with some species of fungi. Its root system grows very slowly, often the plant falls into a state of rest, in which it is supported by the underground colonies of fungi. Surprisingly, the first flowering of the venereal shoe is observed ten to fifteen years after growth from the seed.

At the moment, this species is preserved only in reserves, on the territory of the Russian Federation there are thirteen of them. Actively grow this rare plant in botanical gardens, which promotes the breeding of new species.

Animal World of the Reserve

On the territory of the Dzhugdzhursky Reserve there are more than two hundred eleven animal species. Among them are one hundred sixty-six species of birds and forty-two species of mammals. Most often in the reserve there are brown bear and wolverine. This animal is fairly free to live on the reserved lands. They do not have equal and superior predators, so they multiply well and quietly grow offspring.

No less common is the stone capercaillie, it is one of the most common species of birds in the reserve. It has a dark color and feeds mainly on plant foods. Sometimes invertebrates become its prey. The wingspan in males in some cases exceeds one meter.

An incredible delight in tourists is ringed seals. These animals often "sunbathe" on the coastal rocks. They are not afraid of people at all, so they can be photographed, getting very close. It is interesting that the ringed seal is a single animal. It prefers to live and hunt separately from its relatives. Sometimes tourists can see a whole group of these charming little animals weighing about seventy kilograms. But usually individuals in such a group are not relatives and just happened to be on the same rock.

Do not forget that originally the reserve was planned to create for the protection of a snow sheep. This is a very interesting animal, which lives on our planet presumably about one hundred thousand years. It is worth discussing it in more detail.

Snow ram

Externally, the ram is not much different from its fellow tribesmen. He has a medium build, and males do not exceed one meter at the withers. The head of the animal does not differ in size, the ears are usually tightly pressed against the skull.

The bones of snow sheep were found by archaeologists in various regions of Kamchatka and Sakhalin, their ages dated from forty thousand to one hundred thousand years. But with climate change, the habitat of the animal has also changed significantly. The fact is that for the rams suits the climate, in which the snow cover does not exceed forty centimeters. Otherwise, the animal will not be able to obtain food and die of hunger. The shrinking of the habitat significantly reduced the population of this species, and a man who mercilessly exterminated animals contributed his contribution.

According to zoologists, snow sheep consume more than three hundred species of plants. Animal dumplings are rotten mushrooms with various microorganisms. It serves as a source of protein and vitamins.

About forty years ago the population of a snow sheep was on the verge of extinction. In some areas, the livestock did not exceed 1,500 individuals. Thanks to the active activities of the state, this species changed its status and is now the least threatened. Three years ago, the livestock in the Russian Federation already exceeded seventy thousand animals.

If you ever find yourself in the Khabarovsk Territory, then we advise you to visit the Dzhugdzhursky Reserve. Here you will receive an unprecedented pleasure from unity with nature, which will support you in ordinary city life for a long time.