It is known that Novgorodians went to Novaya Zemlya, a group of islands located between the Kara and Barents seas, in the 11th-12th centuries. Willem Barents circumnavigated Severny Island from its northern part and spent the winter on its eastern shores in 1596. And now, on June 15, 2009, it was organized national park"Russian Arctic".
The national park is one of the youngest protected areas in Russian Federation. In December 2010 Russian Arctic Park was replenished as a state nature reserve of federal significance "Franz Josef Land"− the northernmost land area of Eurasia.
General information, relief and climate of the Russian Arctic National Park
Russian Arctic National Park often referred to as "Pearl of the Arctic". Its territory, in general, is 14,260 square kilometers, which is equal to 6,320 square kilometers of land and 7,940 square kilometers of the territorial waters of the Russian Federation. Ice of continental origin covers more than 85% of the islands' surface.The park is dominated by polar-arctic climate, which is characterized by temperatures close to zero or negative values of the annual radiation balance. Summer is cold and short, lasting from June to August. Winter, on the contrary, is harsh and long: it begins in mid-October and ends in March.
The national park is located in the Arkhangelsk region. There are no permanent residents in the protected area.
Russian Arctic National Park and its vegetation
The protected area contains unique, almost untouched ecosystems. Vegetable world represented by some species lichens, mosses, as well as a small number of flowering plants.Russian Arctic National Park and its fauna
The animal world is rich and diverse. The Arctic waters are inhabited throughout the year bowhead whale and narwhal. Large flocks of birds nest on steep and high capes, thereby forming bird colonies. These are mainly eiders and guillemots.
Novaya Zemlya hosts very rich rookeries of Arctic mammals: arctic foxes, walruses, harp seals and seals. One of the most important breeding and habitat centers is located there. polar bear, which belongs to the marine Kara-Barents population. This animal is a specially protected animal species and is listed in the Russian Red Book.
Goals and objectives
the main objective Russian Arctic National Park− preserve the cultural, historical and natural heritage of the Western sector of the Russian Arctic. In addition to the reserve functions typical for any national park, "Russian Arctic" The task of clearing the territory is urgent.
IN national park growing rapidly ecological tourism. The park is also designed to ensure ecological balance over a large Arctic territory.
| Russian Arctic National Park
Russian Arctic National Park
Since ancient times, the Arctic has been a mystery and, despite sometimes mortal danger, has always attracted people. Some were drawn to the northern latitudes by a passion for geographical discoveries, some by rich opportunities for fishing and sea animals, some simply wanted to become famous, and others to demonstrate their heroism and perseverance.
It has been established that back in the 11th-12th centuries, Novgorodians went to Novaya Zemlya, a group of islands located between the Barents and Kara seas. In 1596, Willem Barents sailed around the northern tip of Severny Island and wintered on its eastern coast. And in our time, on June 15, 2009, the Russian Arctic National Park was created here.
The territory of the national park includes the northern part of the Severny Island, the Novaya Zemlya Islands, the Big and Small Oran Islands, Fr. Loshkina, Fr. Gemskerk and a number of other islands. The land area of the “Russian Arctic” is 632,090 hectares, and the water area is 793,910 hectares.
The national park is located on the territory of the Arkhangelsk region ( municipality urban district "Novaya Zemlya"). There is no permanent resident population in the “Russian Arctic”.
The unique location of the national park, spread out on the Eurasian border, determines a number of its features. The Barents Sea, which washes the territory of the park from the west, does not completely freeze under the influence of the warm North Atlantic Current. The Eastern Kara Sea, on the contrary, is covered solid ice for many months. The relatively short distance from the mainland and higher winter temperatures lead to a greater diversity of life forms than in other Arctic territories.
On the territory of the “Russian Arctic” you can find polar bears, walruses, seals, harp seals, arctic foxes and even reindeer. During the short server summer, plants, of which there are 64 species, turn their leaves towards the polar sun. The Oran Islands, with their gently sloping cliffs, are a paradise for many polar birds. Up to 20 species of birds breed here, and 5 species dare to stay for the winter.
The group of characteristic and especially memorable objects of the “Russian Arctic” includes the Lomonosov Mountains and the Mendeleev Mountains. Here you can find amazingly beautiful polar landscapes.
Those who visited the “Russian Arctic” gained more than just good impressions. They felt like pioneers and undoubtedly received answers to the eternal questions that tormented them. After all, where else can these answers be found - only among centuries-old ice.
State nature reserve of federal significance "Franz Josef Land"
The birthday of the reserve is considered to be April 23, 1994, when the order of the Russian Government approved the protected status of the Franz Josef Land archipelago and part of the marine area. This document allocates the entire territory of the archipelago - 1,635,300 hectares - for the land part of the reserve. The total area of the specially protected natural area is 4,200,000 hectares.
The Franz Josef Land archipelago is located in the northeastern part of the Barents Sea and is the northernmost landmass of Eurasia. On an administrative-territorial basis, it is part of Primorsky municipal district Arkhangelsk region.
The existence of these lands was predicted by the Great Pomor M.V. Lomonosov, however, due to their remoteness (distance to the North Pole - 900 km, the Kola Peninsula - 1200 km, Novaya Zemlya - 360 km) and inaccessibility, the archipelago was discovered only in 1873 by the expedition of K. Weiprecht and J. Payer. It was named in honor of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I. In the 20th century, man left a noticeable mark on the archipelago: fuel barrels, worn-out equipment - not the most attractive, but no less noticeable features of Franz Josef Land.
Geographically, Franz Josef Land is a group of 191 islands, stretching 375 km from west to east and 234 km from south to north. Constantly ongoing relief-forming processes can lead to changes in the number of islands. So, in 2008, a new island was discovered near Northbrook Island, named after the Arctic captain Yuri Kuchiev.
It is interesting to note that 71% of the total number of islands of the archipelago occupy only 0.4% of its area. Only 4 islands (George Land, Wilczek Land, Graham Bell, Alexandra Land) have areas exceeding 100,000 hectares.
85% of Franz Josef Land is covered by glaciers, making it the most glaciated landmass in the Russian Arctic.
All islands of the archipelago belong to the climatic zone of the Arctic deserts. The average temperature in January is -24°C, in July - from -1.5-0°C. In winter, the thermometer can drop below -50°C.
Despite the truly harsh climate, the archipelago is not a lifeless space. Its nature is unique and charming in its own way. Among a few other places, these islands are chosen by the owners of the Arctic - polar bears - to give birth and raise their babies. Walruses, ringed seals, bearded seals are amazing species of mammals that have chosen Franz Josef Land and the waters around it as their home. In the sea, near the reserve, you can meet the bowhead whale, the sea unicorn - the narwhal, and the beluga whale. 15 species of birds hatch their chicks on the numerous rocks of the archipelago.
The functions of protecting the Franz Josef Land reserve, organizing work to restore its original appearance and preserving cultural heritage are currently carried out by the Federal State Budgetary Institution Russian Arctic National Park.
Franz Josef Land and its adjacent waters play an exceptional role in ensuring the reproduction and sustainable existence of many populations of Arctic species.
Firstly, Franz Josef Land is the most important region from an environmental point of view in the western sector of the Arctic; five species listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and the International Red Book live here.
A significant part of the Russian and world populations of the ivory gull, a rare native Arctic species, breeds on the archipelago; The largest colonies of this gull in the Barents Sea are known on the islands.
The waters of Franz Josef Land are a key area of the modern range of the Svalbard population of the bowhead whale, the rarest marine mammal of the North Atlantic. Franz Josef Land is the area where whales are most frequently encountered and their year-round habitat. Thanks to the animals preserved here, the Svalbard population began to slowly restore its numbers and range.
The waters of Franz Josef Land are the site of the most regular encounters of narwhals in the Russian Arctic.
Franz Josef Land is the most important area for the maintenance and reproduction of the Atlantic walrus, which, thanks to the presence of stationary polynyas, lives on the archipelago year-round. A significant part of the East Atlantic subpopulation of the subspecies is concentrated here. As in the case of the polar bear, the northern Barents Sea is inhabited by a single population of walruses, and, thanks to the expanded reproduction of the group of walruses preserved on Franz Josef Land, in recent decades there has been a restoration of numbers and recolonization of the Svalbard islands by the animal.
The islands are an important breeding ground for polar bears of the Kara-Barents Sea population. In summer, there is an increased polar bear population density here compared to neighboring areas.
Secondly, the archipelago plays an important role in preserving and maintaining the ornithological diversity of the Russian Arctic.
Here is concentrated most of Russian breeding population of the Atlantic subspecies of the fulmar and the polar subspecies of little auks.
Franz Josef Land is home to the world's most northern known breeding colonies of thick-billed guillemots.
The archipelago contains the only proven nesting sites in Russia for the Atlantic subspecies of the brant goose, the main nesting sites for the Greenland subspecies of the common eider, as well as periodic sites for the short-billed bean goose.
Russian Arctic is a national park in the Arkhangelsk region. Located in the northern part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. Created June 15, 2009. The national park includes reserve lands with a total area of 1,426,000 hectares, of which land - 632,090 hectares, sea waters - 793,910 hectares.
Reasons and goals for creating the park
This region is home to the largest bird colonies in the Northern Hemisphere (guillemots and eiders), walrus rookeries, polar bears, bowhead whales, arctic foxes, harp seals and seals. The vegetation is represented by some species of mosses, lichens and a small number of flowering plants. The park is being created to preserve the unique nature of the Arctic.
The territory of the national park is interesting not only for its nature. Unique and cultural heritage national park: here are places and objects associated with the history of the discovery and development of the Russian Arctic since the 16th century, in particular, associated with the activities of the Russian polar explorers Rusanov and Sedov, as well as the sites of the Dutch navigator Willem Barents, who discovered these lands for Western Europeans, and Russian Pomors who had been there long before him.
Thus, this region is of great interest for the development of ecological scientific and educational tourism. In 2009, Vladimir Putin invited ministers to spend their next vacation in this park or in other similar places.
The Federal State Budgetary Institution "Russian Arctic National Park" also protects the territory of the state natural reserve of federal significance "Franz Josef Land", as well as measures to preserve biological diversity and maintain protected natural complexes in their natural state on the territory of this reserve.
Nature
The importance of the Franz Josef Land archipelago for maintaining bird and mammal populations
Franz Josef Land and its adjacent waters play an exceptional role in ensuring the reproduction and sustainable existence of many populations of Arctic species.
Firstly, Franz Josef Land is the most important region from an environmental point of view in the western sector of the Arctic; five species listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and the International Red Book live here.
A significant part of the Russian and world populations of the ivory gull, a rare native Arctic species, breeds on the archipelago; The largest colonies of this gull in the Barents Sea are known on the islands.
The waters of Franz Josef Land are a key area of the modern range of the Svalbard population of the bowhead whale, the rarest marine mammal of the North Atlantic. Franz Josef Land is the area where whales are most frequently encountered and their year-round habitat. Thanks to the animals preserved here, the Svalbard population began to slowly restore its numbers and range.
The waters of Franz Josef Land are the site of the most regular encounters of narwhals in the Russian Arctic.
Franz Josef Land is the most important area for the maintenance and reproduction of the Atlantic walrus, which, thanks to the presence of stationary polynyas, lives on the archipelago year-round.
A significant part of the East Atlantic subpopulation of the subspecies is concentrated here. As in the case of the polar bear, the northern Barents Sea is inhabited by a single population of walruses, and, thanks to the expanded reproduction of the group of walruses preserved on Franz Josef Land, in recent decades there has been a restoration of numbers and recolonization of the Svalbard islands by the animal.
The islands are an important breeding ground for polar bears of the Kara-Barents Sea population. In summer, there is an increased polar bear population density here compared to neighboring areas. Secondly, the archipelago plays an important role in preserving and maintaining the ornithological diversity of the Russian Arctic.
Most of the Russian breeding population of the Atlantic subspecies of the fulmar and the polar subspecies of little auks is concentrated here.
Franz Josef Land is home to the world's most northern known breeding colonies of thick-billed guillemots.
The archipelago contains the only proven nesting sites in Russia for the Atlantic subspecies of the brant goose, the main nesting sites for the Greenland subspecies of the common eider, as well as periodic sites for the short-billed bean goose.