Central-Chernozemny Reserve
Kursk and Belgorod regions
History
It is situated in Kursk and Belgorod regions. It was created in 1935. The area is 6.3 thousand ha and consists of 6 distant parts. It is located in the Middle Russian Plain in the wood-steppe zone. The relief is formed by erosion, the surface has a lot of ravines. Soils are typical chernozems, they have never been ploughed.
Flora and Fauna
Vegetation represents some combination of grasslands and oak forests.A half of the zapovednik area is covered with the meadows and steppe ecosystems, forests cover 34.9 % of the area. Virgin steppes are rich with different plants. Flora diversity is really great here (about 80 species of higher plants per 1 sq. m). Natural recovery of the broad-leave forests consists of lime- trees, maples, common ash, elms with undergrowth of common black alder and hazel occur. There is a fog, some sections with unusual flora on the limestone slopes. More than 900 species of the vascular plants, among them 86 are rare except those which are in the Red Data Set Book of Russia. Fauna combines typical forest and steppe species. Insects comprise more than 400 species among them 24 are under conservation ( for example common stag beetle). There are o lot of steppe adders and lizards. European fauna species prevail in birds (84 species), there are some rare ones: white tailed eagle, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, steppe aegle. Fauna of the rodents is also very diverse. Badgers, foxes, elks, wild pigs, roes and wolves are usual. The zapovednik established as biosphere one.
Reserves of region:
