Polistovsky Nature Reserve

Polistovsky Nature Reserve
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
Location	Russia
Nearest city	Novorzhev
Coordinates	57°10′15″N 30°33′25″E / 57.17083°N 30.55694°E / 57.17083; 30.55694Coordinates: 57°10′15″N 30°33′25″E / 57.17083°N 30.55694°E / 57.17083; 30.55694
Area	379.83 km²[1]
Established	May 25, 1994

Polistovsky Nature Reserve, Polistovsky Zapovednik (Russian: Полистовский заповедник) is a nature reserve (a zapovednik) in the northwest of Russia, located in Bezhanitsky and Loknyansky Districts of Pskov Oblast, in the Polist-Lovat Swamp System. It was established on May 25, 1994. Previously, it functioned as a zakaznik. The nature reserve is created to protect the raised bog ecosystems of the Northwestern Russia.^[1]

Location and geography

The area of the reserve is elongated from southeast to northwest and is adhacent to the border between Pskov and Novgorod Oblasts. At the other side of the border, in Novgorod Oblast, the nature reserve continues as Rdeysky Nature Reserve. The nature reserve is divided between the drainage basins of the Lovat River and the Polist River.

The territory of Polistovsky Nature Reserve is a glacial landscape, which is essentially a flat swampy area with a large amount of lakes. Some areas are forested.^[1]

Flora

The area mostly consists of raised bogs. Forest grows on the islands on the bog. The main types forest are coniferous forests based on spruce and broadleaf forest, based on oak and linden. Birch and aspen appeared as derivative forest from oak and linden. Around 370 species of plants grow in the reserve.^[2]

Fauna

European mink is a critically endangered mammal species which is resident in the reserve.^[3]

References