Have you ever heard of the fabulous Lapland? Of course! However, not everyone knows about the existence of the Lapland Nature Reserve. What is he famous for? How is it arranged? In this article we will try to answer these and many other questions related to this amazing place.
First, find out where the Lapland Nature Reserve is located. It is located in the north, in the Murmansk region. He is almost 100 years old, and in addition to the residence of the real Santa Claus, there are many interesting things for ordinary tourists as well as for scientists. The territory of the reserve is striking in its size - it exceeds 278, 435 hectares, 8574 of which occupies the water area of lakes and rivers. Due to its size, the Lapland Nature Reserve is one of the largest in Europe.
History
This conservation area was created by order of the Leningrad Executive Committee in January 1930. In those days, the territory of the Kola Peninsula belonged to the executive committee of the Leningrad Region. For 20 years the reserve was a reindeer herding farm, but was closed for an indefinite period in 1951. Fortunately, this situation was resolved relatively quickly. Five years later, the Lapland Nature Reserve was reopened, registered, and received the status of a state.
It should be noted that the borders of “Lapland” periodically changed, and more often in the direction of reduction. This is due to the development of minerals in the second half of the last century in the territories of Monchetundra. Despite this, in 1983 a very impressive territory was added to the reserve in its western part (129, 577 hectares). It was equal to almost 100% of the original area. The state allocated “Lapland” to this land as compensation for the land in the eastern part of the reserve, rendered unusable by emissions from the Severonickel plant.
In mid-February 1985, the Lapland State Biosphere Reserve was taken under the protection of UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. Ten years later (1995), the “Fairytale Lapland” project was launched. Since that time, the reserve has become of not only research and environmental, but also cultural value.
Lapland State Nature Biosphere Reserve - landscape
During the Valdai glaciation, the Kola Peninsula covered the same ice sheet as today covers Greenland. He disappeared 10, 000 years ago, leaving powerful ridge of moraine and powerful rock outcrops smoothed out by glaciers on the lowlands, which are called "ram's foreheads." After glaciation, sedimentary rocks are practically absent here. They are replaced by naked layers of Archean age, mainly gneisses.
After the melting of the glaciers, the vast territories of the Kola Peninsula were not empty for long. Initially, winds and birds brought here spores of lichens and mosses, grass seeds. Plants contributed to the slow destruction of the stone appearance of the Kola Peninsula and the formation of a soil layer. Pretty quickly, the badlands settled invertebrates, which contributed to the change in landscape.
Then forests and tundra began to form, eventually taking on their current appearance.
Rivers and Streams
Lapland Nature Reserve (Monchegorsk) is represented by widespread species of animals and plants from the north of Eurasia. Due to the previous glaciation, this land, as, indeed, for the whole of Scandinavia, is characterized by a complete absence of endemic species.
Ecosystems of Lapland have been created very recently, so the process of introducing various new species of animals and plants from outside continues to this day. The species diversity of fauna and flora is constantly changing, it is relatively small.
The Lapland Nature Reserve abounds with high-water rivers and fast mountain streams. In some areas, they are calm, with sheer soddy banks. In other areas, they are rapids in a flood with white breakers.
There are many small and large lakes in the reserve, with stone, and sometimes with sandy or overgrown sedge shores. Reindeer forests stretch along river valleys. The slopes of the mountains are covered by shady green-spruce spruce forests. Wide valleys with flowing streams, which are bordered by a narrow ribbon of delicate birches, alternate with huge placers of stones, which are covered with bright spots by a multi-colored lichen.
The largest lake is Imandra, with an area of 880 km 2. It has more than 150 islands. The largest rivers are Strelna, Varzuga, Umba.
Tundra
The Lapland Nature Reserve (Murmansk Region) is distinguished by vegetation, which is determined by its geographical position - 120 km north of the Arctic Circle - and the mountain landscape. After the ice melted, lichens and mosses populated the soil surface. In the harsh conditions of the mountain tundra, mountain lagellas are common - the deer’s favorite treat. In some areas they are replaced by carpets of shrubs, crowberries, blueberries, lingonberries, bearberry. Shrubs of rhododendron and partridge grass (dryad) are adjacent to them.
In some areas, there are rosette or pillow-shaped forms of saxifrage, low linea, fescue, dwarf birch. During the flowering period, these places are unusually beautiful.
Arctic taiga
One of the main assets of the Lapland Nature Reserve are forest areas that grow on these lands from 3 to 10 thousand years. The average age of trees growing here is 300 years. Some samples reach a height of 15 meters. The active development of the polar taiga is associated with a rather mild climate and the complete absence of permafrost in the subsoil.
In winter, the soil is reliably protected by snow, and therefore does not freeze too much. Trees grow slowly, but reach very impressive sizes, not at all reminiscent of Siberian forest-tundra forest stands.
The local pine has short needles, which lasts not three years, but about seven years. In recent years, this breed has been recognized as a separate form - Frieza pine.
The spruce habitual for us is replaced in the reserve by Siberian spruce with small cones characteristic of this species.
Subarctic and warty birches grow both in spruce forests and in pine forests. Sparse undergrowth consists of mountain ash, Siberian juniper, goat willow and other species of willow.
Evergreen shrubs such as crowberry, lingonberry, linnaea, blueberry, several species of winter wheat are widespread in the ground layer of the reserve. There are many evergreen herbaceous plants - a scalp, a meadow.
The moss layer is abundantly expressed. In pine forests, mosses are usually combined with lichens cladonia (alpine, deer and soft). The upper border of the forest is marked at an altitude of 380 m.
Animals of the Lapland Nature Reserve
The nature of this picturesque place cannot be called pristine. For centuries, the Sami have been successfully engaged in reindeer husbandry and, accordingly, exterminated predators.
By the beginning of the last century, very few reindeer and large predators remained in Lapland.
Reindeer
In the west of the Kola Peninsula at that time only about a hundred deer were preserved.
It was necessary to take urgent measures to protect these animals, so in 1930 the Lapland Nature Reserve was organized. Soon, security measures gave the first positive results.
Today, more than a thousand individuals constantly live in the reserve. Deer prefer white-collar burs and the mountain-tundra landscape. The Lapland State Nature Reserve is rich in their favorite food - reindeer moss. Thanks to the long-term security activities of the reserve staff, wild deer settled throughout the peninsula, most of all in the mountainous-wooded western part.
At the beginning of the 20th century, beavers and moose returned to the Lapland Biosphere Reserve after a long absence. It is interesting that moose came to these places from the south and southwest themselves, and beavers were specially brought from the reserve of the city of Voronezh. While both species are few in number.
Predators
Lapland Biosphere Reserve has large predators on its territory. The most common brown bear. Wolverines, wolves and lynxes are few in number. There are foxes, but their numbers are extremely small. Weasel, pine marten, ermine are quite common. Snowy winters are quite comfortable for the life of voles and lemmings.
Birds
About all the birds inhabiting the Lapland Nature Reserve, it is impossible to tell in detail in a small article. Therefore, today we will confine ourselves to only those species that in this reserve have important conservation value.
On nesting and migration there are 20 species of waterfowl. It should be noted a small goose-squeak. Recently, this species has been rapidly disappearing from almost the entire territory of the range. Unlike other northern geese, the squeak nests along the banks of mountain rivers and streams.
The first place in importance in the reserve is occupied by grouse - hazel grouse, capercaillie, black grouse, tundra and white partridge. The latter species lives in the mountain tundra, the rest settle in the forest.
Such ravenous and rare birds as osprey, golden eagle, gyrfalcon, white-tailed eagle, feel quite comfortable in the reserve.
Owls
I would like to tell you more about these representatives of birds. It is difficult to find another such place on Earth as the Lapland State Biosphere Reserve, where eight species of owls would live on a rather large, but limited territory.
The most common species is a small hawk owl. She is a representative of the native species of northern forests. Its plumage color harmoniously combines with the background created by the northern birch trees.
Her "sister" - the bearded owl - is the largest owl of the boreal forests, but it is quite rare. She prefers to settle in forests, alternating with open spaces, for example, with sphagnum bogs.
The boreal and passerine owl is the smallest owl in Russia. She chooses for living thickened spruce and spruce-birch forests.
Wading owls, tailed owls and eagle owl are the largest in the world fauna. Not numerous, but quite typical for the Lapland reserve, are white, or polar owls.
Due to the light nights in the Arctic, owls are forced to fly hunting in daylight. The season of white nights is long - a hundred days (from early May to the second half of August). During this time, owls need to grow and feed the chicks. Therefore, to see a flying owl in the daytime is easy in the reserve.
Often you can observe a marsh owl in the protected areas. She slowly flies around open places, looking for prey. Like most owls, she has the most important sensory organ in hearing, although her eyesight cannot be called weak.
In the sunlight in the forest you can see a hawk owl. Two species of owls behave quite secretively, you can meet them only by chance. They arrange their "pantries" in the hollows of trees. They bring here carcasses of mouse-like rodents, sometimes small birds.
It is even more difficult to meet an eagle owl and a long tailed owl. These are born hunters. In addition to small rodents, which form the basis of their diet, they are not averse to feasting on different birds and mammals. The owl catches grouse and squirrels, will not miss an opportunity and will overcome the ermine.
A large eagle owl in the Lapland Nature Reserve often preys on black grouse, hares and capercaillie. There are cases when he successfully hunts a marten. True, with a slip, he himself may become a victim.
Owls, thanks to the auditory location, are able to catch rodents under a thick layer of snow, therefore, almost all species, except the marsh owl, are sedentary.
Scientific activity
The main area of scientific activity of the Lapland Reserve is the maintenance and increase in the population of wild reindeer throughout the Kola Peninsula. In addition, the tasks of employees include constant monitoring and study of the impact of industrial enterprises located near the reserve on the environment and ecology. A diverse flora and fauna attracts not only local employees, scientists from abroad often come here.
The study of the living conditions and habits of the wild deer began in 1929, before the opening of the reserve. The first count of these animals was carried out by M. Crepe on mountain wintering.
