Belarus is rightly called one of the greenest states in Europe. And this is not an exaggeration. On this territory there are unique nature reserves, wildlife reserves, national parks. Belarus has a special care for animals and plants. Currently, more than 6% of the country's territory (1.2 million hectares) is under state protection. Below we present a list of nature reserves and national parks of Belarus.
Reserves:
- "Berezinsky".
- "Belovezhskaya Pushcha".
- "Polessky".
National parks:
- "Pripyat".
- "Narochansky."
- "Braslav lakes".
Reserves:
"Dnieper-Sozh".
GNP "Belovezhskaya Pushcha"
The largest reserve in Belarus, occupying a huge area - 152, 242 hectares.
In 1939, the famous reserve "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" was founded. It has been protected by UNESCO since 1979.
This protected land is home to 70 species of rare animals and 82 species of endangered plants grow.
Interesting Facts:
- In 1409, the Polish ruler Jagiello forbade hunting for a large beast in the territory of the current reserve.
- Probably, not everyone knows that Belovezhskaya Pushcha is the official residence of Santa Claus in Belarus. Every year on New Year's Eve, he must contact the country's border guards and obtain permission to pass the New Year through the state border.
- The main symbol of not only Belovezhskaya Pushcha, but also Belarus as a whole is the bison - the only artiodactyl species listed in the Red Book of the state. Today, the stock of these animals in the reserve is about 415.
The reserve "Berezinsky"
Almost all nature reserves and national parks of Belarus have a long history. But the oldest of them is precisely Berezinsky. Its area: 85.2 thousand hectares. It was founded in January 1925. He received the status of a biosphere reserve in 1979. On its territory, 114 endangered and rare species of animals and 83 species of plants are officially registered.
It must be said that a reserve was created for the protection of beavers, but later bears appeared in it, which today number a little less than half of all individuals living in the country.
More than 60% of the territory of this reserve is occupied by swamps. This is probably why the mythical hero who attracts tourists to these places is called Bolotnik.
Reserves, national parks in Belarus often become pioneers in the protection of animals. For example, it was in the Berezinsky Reserve that underground passages for amphibians first appeared. One of these structures is located on the M3 highway (122 km).
Polessky Reserve
Reserves and national parks of Belarus are all very different. They differ in size, relief, landscape. For example, the Polessky Reserve is the territory of rivers, lakes and impassable swamps. Its area is small - 20 thousand hectares. It is located between the rivers Marshes and Uborti.
This area is very similar to taiga. It is covered by forests that are not found anywhere else in the country. There are many unique plants. The animals are represented by forest species: lynx, elk, white hare, capercaillie, cassock, bearded owl, etc.
Perhaps the main attraction of the reserve is flight-keeping - a special form of beekeeping, which has been preserved in its original form since ancient times.
Reserves of the Republic of Belarus, Polessky in particular, with prior approval for visits, conduct excursions. In its vicinity there are a number of water, pedestrian and automobile tourist routes.
Nature Reserves and National Parks of Belarus: "Braslav Lakes"
This conservation area covers an area of 69 thousand 115 hectares. "Braslav Lakes" is a unique national park, founded in August 1995.
The park is famous for its amazing lakes, which bear some unusual names for Belarusians - Snudy, Drivyaty, Voiso, Nedrovo and Nespish, Strusto. The reserve zone of the park is located on an area of 3 thousand 452 hectares.
Narochansky National Park
It occupies a much larger area than the Braslav Lakes. It reaches 97.3 thousand hectares. By presidential decree, the park was founded in late July 1999.
On this vast territory there are 40 lakes, making up 17% of its area. The largest of them is the magnificent Lake Naroch. The park area is 80 square meters. km In addition to it, the park includes the Blue Lakes. The most amazing of them are Deep and Dead. Due to the huge carbonate deposits, Glubli water has an unusual greenish tint. Dead Lake is interesting for specialists with the complete absence of fish in its waters. And on its swampy shores you can see a sundew - a very interesting plant.
Pripyatsky park
Today we bring you not only nature reserves. And the national parks of Belarus are of great interest not only for specialists, but also for tourists. Pripyatsky Park occupies a huge area - 188 thousand 841 hectares.
As a landscape-hydrological reserve, Pripyatsky was founded in 1969. In 1996, it was transformed into a national park.
Over 40 species of rare plants and more than 72 species of mammals and birds grow on this territory. Cranberries plantations occupy more than 500 hectares of the park.
