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Barguzin State Natural Biosphere Reserve is a nature reserve in Buryatia, on the territory of the North Baikal region. Historical center - Davsha; Since 2012, the management of the reserve is located in the village of Ust-Barguzin.
The Barguzin Nature Reserve (Russian: Баргузинский заповедник), also
known as Barguzinsky Zapovednik, holds the distinction of being Russia's
oldest strict nature reserve, or zapovednik. Located in the Republic of
Buryatia on the northeastern shore of Lake Baikal—the world's deepest
and oldest freshwater lake—it encompasses a vast area of approximately
374,300 hectares (about 958 square miles), including parts of the
Barguzin Mountains, river valleys, and a section of the lake itself. The
reserve's primary purpose has always been the strict protection of
natural ecosystems, with a focus on conserving the Barguzin sable
(Martes zibellina), a subspecies of the sable renowned for its luxurious
fur, often called "soft gold." This IUCN Category Ia protected area
represents the Trans-Baikal conifer forests ecoregion, featuring diverse
landscapes from alpine tundras and subalpine meadows to taiga forests
dominated by larch, pine, spruce, and birch, along with peat bogs,
floodplains, and lacustrine terraces. Its establishment marked a
pioneering moment in Russian conservation, predating the 1917 October
Revolution, and it has since achieved global recognition as a UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve (1986) and part of the Lake Baikal UNESCO World
Heritage Site (1996).
The reserve's terrain is postglacial, shaped by
rugged highlands, long river valleys, and alluvial plains, with
elevations ranging from 460 meters at Lake Baikal to over 2,700 meters
in the mountains. It experiences a subarctic climate with cold, dry
winters and mild summers, supporting a rich biodiversity: mammals like
brown bears, wolves, lynx, moose, musk deer, and wild boar; birds such
as capercaillie, grouse, eagles, and black storks; and fish including
omul, sturgeon, grayling, taimen, and lenok. Human access is severely
restricted to preserve its "untouched" status, emphasizing scientific
research over recreation—a hallmark of the Russian zapovednik system.
Historical Background: The Sable's Decline and Pre-Reserve Era
The history of the Barguzin Nature Reserve is inextricably linked to the
fate of the sable, a small carnivorous mustelid whose fur has been
prized since ancient times. Sables were once abundant across northern
Eurasia, from Scandinavia to the Pacific, but intensive hunting
beginning in the 17th century drove their populations to the brink.
Russian expansion into Siberia was largely fueled by the fur trade, with
sables providing "soft gold" that enriched the tsarist treasury through
exports to Europe and Asia. Millions of sables were trapped annually,
leading to localized extinctions. By the late 19th century, overhunting
had decimated populations, with the Barguzin subspecies—native to the
remote Barguzin Mountains—particularly vulnerable due to its
high-quality, dark fur, which could fetch exorbitant prices (a single
coat today might cost over $100,000).
The region was historically
inhabited by the Shemagir Evenks, an indigenous Tungusic people who
practiced sustainable hunting, fishing, and reindeer herding. They
traded furs with Russian merchants but viewed sable pelts as relatively
low-value compared to Europeans. However, Russian settlers and hunters
intensified exploitation, leasing river valleys and depleting wildlife.
Tsars from Ivan the Terrible to Catherine the Great expressed concerns
about sable declines, implementing sporadic protections, but by 1912,
Emperor Nicholas II was alarmed by reports showing only about 40
Barguzin sables remaining in the wild. This prompted a three-year
hunting ban and expeditions to assess conservation needs.
In
1913–1915, the Imperial Ministry of Agriculture sponsored surveys,
including the "Barguzin expedition" led by Czech-Russian zoologist Zenon
Svatosh (1886–1949) and explorer Georgiy Doppelmair (also spelled
Doppelmeyer). These teams documented the local ecology, economy, and
sable habitats, recommending the creation of protected areas as "natural
sable farms." The expeditions highlighted the area's inaccessibility as
a key factor in the sable's survival, with its taiga forests, alpine
lakes, and rhododendron meadows providing ideal foraging grounds for the
animal's diet of small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, berries, and nuts.
Establishment and Early Years (1916–1930s)
On December 29, 1916
(January 11, 1917, by the Gregorian calendar), Tsar Nicholas II
officially established the Barguzin Nature Reserve as Russia's first
state-protected area, initially covering about 200,000 hectares as a
wildlife sanctuary and hunting reserve. This act came just months before
Nicholas's abdication in March 1917 and his execution in 1918 amid the
Russian Revolution. The reserve prohibited hunting, resettled the Evenks
to the northern Tompa River valley, and established its directorate in
the former Evenk village of Sosnovka. Konstantin Zabelin (1885–1934)
served as the first director, with Svatosh later becoming the second.
The October Revolution and subsequent Civil War (1917–1922) severely
disrupted operations, halting systematic research and conservation until
the 1940s. Funding was scarce, and the Bolshevik regime initially viewed
conservation as a tsarist relic, but the Soviet government eventually
embraced the zapovednik model, influenced by advocates like Grigory
Kozhevnikov, who emphasized leaving nature "untouched" for scientific
study—contrasting with recreational parks in the West. By the 1930s,
sable populations began stabilizing, reaching the Barguzin valley by
1940, thanks to the reserve's isolation and enforcement.
A key early
development was the relocation of the administrative center to Davsha, a
purpose-built research village near the reserve's core. Founded in the
1920s–1930s, Davsha grew into a self-sustaining community with log
cabins, a school, bakery, airfield, and experimental sable nursery.
Residents, including rangers, scientists, and families, endured extreme
isolation, harsh winters, and wildlife encounters while conducting
fieldwork like sable tagging.
Soviet Era Developments
(1940s–1991)
Under Soviet rule, the reserve expanded and formalized
its role in wildlife management. By the 1970s, Davsha housed over 100
people, with facilities for research on sable ecology, breeding farms,
and resettlement programs to repopulate sables elsewhere in Siberia.
Notable figures included zoologist Evgeny Chernikin (1928–2009), who
directed from 1964 for over 30 years, specializing in sable studies and
improving living conditions like schools and healthcare. Gennadiy Yankus
led from 1971 to 2011, overseeing growth amid broader Soviet
environmental efforts, including surviving World War II and post-war
industrialization.
Sable numbers recovered dramatically, from 40 in
1916 to 800–1,200 by the late 20th century, reaching natural carrying
capacity. The reserve supplied animals for breeding and translocation,
contributing to national conservation. In 1986, it became a UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve, recognizing its role in boreal ecosystem
preservation.
Post-Soviet Period and Challenges (1991–Present)
The 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union brought funding cuts, leading
to Davsha's depopulation. By 2005, permanent residents were evacuated,
turning it into a "ghost town" used only seasonally by scientists and
caretakers. Staff now operate on limited budgets, facing poaching
threats and environmental pressures like climate change and pollution.
Expansions included managing the adjacent Frolikhinsky Nature Reserve in
2009 and forming the "Zapovednoye Podlemorye" entity in 2012,
integrating with Zabaikalsky National Park for unified governance.
Mikhail Ovdin (b. 1983) has directed since 2011. The 2017 centennial,
declared Russia's "Year of Ecology" by President Vladimir Putin,
celebrated its legacy, with sable populations stable and the reserve
serving as a model for over 100 Russian zapovedniks.
Significance
and Legacy
The Barguzin Nature Reserve's history underscores Russia's
early commitment to conservation amid political upheaval, saving the
sable from extinction and preserving a pristine slice of Siberian
wilderness. Its challenges—wars, funding shortages, and indigenous
resettlement—highlight the tensions between protection and human needs,
while achievements like UNESCO status affirm its global importance in
biodiversity conservation. As of 2026, it remains a vital scientific
hub, with ongoing research into climate impacts and ecosystem dynamics.
The Barguzinsky Nature Reserve, also known as the Barguzin State
Natural Biosphere Reserve, is situated in the Republic of Buryatia,
southeastern Siberia, Russia. It occupies the northeastern shoreline of
Lake Baikal, the world's deepest and oldest freshwater lake, and extends
inland along the western slopes of the Barguzinsky Mountain Range up to
its ridge. This positioning places it in a transitional zone between the
vast Siberian taiga and the unique Baikal ecosystem, bordering the
Zabaikalsky National Park to the south. The reserve lies approximately
near the settlement of Ust-Barguzin, with coordinates centering around
54°N latitude and 110°E longitude. It represents a critical component of
the Lake Baikal UNESCO World Heritage Site, established in 1916 as
Russia's first nature reserve primarily to protect the Barguzin sable.
The total area of the reserve is approximately 374,322 hectares (3,743
km²) on land, plus an additional 15,000 hectares of adjacent Lake Baikal
waters, encompassing a biosphere polygon of about 111,146 hectares and a
3-kilometer protective coastal strip. It stretches for roughly 100
kilometers along the Lake Baikal coastline, providing a diverse
cross-section of Baikal's northeastern basin.
Topography and
Terrain
The reserve's topography is characterized by a postglacial
landscape, featuring rugged highlands, elongated river valleys, outwash
plains, alluvial plains, and lacustrine plains formed by ancient glacial
activity. Elevations vary dramatically, starting from the lacustrine
terraces along Lake Baikal at 460–600 meters above sea level, rising
through the lower and middle mountain slopes at 600–1,250 meters, and
culminating in subalpine and alpine zones that reach up to 3,000 meters
in the Barguzinsky Range. The Barguzinsky Mountains, part of the larger
range that bounds the Barguzin Valley to the northwest, extend about 280
kilometers in length and feature peaks up to 2,840 meters, often likened
to "Alps" for their jagged, cirque-filled summits.
High-altitude
areas include large amphitheaters with glacial cirques, plumb rocks, and
extensive fields of talus (crumbled rock debris), creating a stark,
mountainous environment. The western slopes descend steeply toward Lake
Baikal, forming narrow coastal terraces that transition into broader
valleys. This vertical zonation creates distinct altitudinal belts:
coastal lowlands with boreal forests, mid-slope taiga, subalpine meadows
in stream valleys, and alpine tundras on the upper reaches. The terrain
is predominantly mountainous, with over 220,000 hectares covered in
forests, reflecting the reserve's role in preserving the Trans-Baikal
conifer forests ecoregion, which extends southward into northern
Mongolia.
Climate
The climate of the Barguzinsky Nature
Reserve is subarctic (Köppen classification Dwc), influenced by its
proximity to Lake Baikal, which moderates temperatures, and its inland
Siberian location, leading to continental extremes. Summers are mild and
short, lasting 1–3 months with average temperatures above 10°C, while
winters are long and severely cold, with lows dropping well below
freezing. Precipitation is relatively low, with monthly amounts in
winter being less than one-tenth of the wettest summer months,
contributing to a semi-arid influence in some areas.
The lake's
massive water body acts as a thermal regulator, softening coastal
microclimates compared to the harsher conditions in the higher
mountains. Snow cover varies by elevation: 15–20 cm in lower river
valleys like the Barguzin River basin, increasing significantly in the
uplands. Overall, the climate supports boreal ecosystems but poses
challenges with permafrost in higher zones and seasonal frost in
valleys.
Hydrography
Hydrographically, the reserve is
dominated by Lake Baikal, which forms its western boundary. It includes
about 60–110 kilometers of shoreline (depending on measurement sources)
and adjacent waters, providing habitat for endemic Baikal species. The
lake's northeastern section here is deep and oligotrophic, supporting
fish such as omul (Coregonus migratorius), sig (Coregonus lavaretus),
sturgeon (Acipenser baerii), grayling (Thymallus arcticus), taimen
(Hucho taimen), and lenok (Brachymystax lenok).
Numerous rivers and
streams drain the Barguzinsky Range into Baikal, including major
tributaries like the Bolshaya River, which carve long valleys through
the mountains. Glacial lakes dot the high-altitude cirques, fed by
snowmelt and contributing to the reserve's wetland systems, including
peat bogs and floodplain meadows. Hot springs are a notable feature,
with temperatures ranging from 40–76°C, fostering unique thermal
microhabitats and algal communities. The hydrographic network
underscores the reserve's role in maintaining Baikal's water quality and
biodiversity.
Vegetation and Flora
Vegetation in the reserve
exhibits pronounced altitudinal zonation, reflecting the diverse
topography and climate. Along the Lake Baikal terraces (460–600 m), open
larch forests dominate, featuring Siberian larch (Larix sibirica) and
Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii), interspersed with peat bogs, floodplain
meadows, and rhododendron shrubs.
In the middle mountains (up to
1,250 m), taiga dark coniferous forests prevail, composed of Scots pine
(Pinus sylvestris), Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica, or cedar), fir (Abies
sibirica), and spruce (Picea obovata), with birch (Betula spp.) forests
in disturbed areas and balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) and Chosenia
arbutifolia in river valleys. The subalpine belt (around 1,250–1,500 m)
features birch krummholz (stunted, twisted trees), light larch-spruce
forests, and thickets of dwarf Siberian pine (Pinus pumila).
Above
1,500 meters, mountain tundra takes over, with drier slopes covered in
dwarf pine and lichen-covered rocks, while wetter areas support shrubby
alpine tundras, subalpine meadows with alpine plants, and rhododendron
zones. The flora includes over 350 species of higher plants, with 7 rare
species, and encompasses boreal ecosystems like bogs, coniferous taiga,
meadows, and tundras.
Other Geographical Features
The
reserve's geography also includes unique thermal features from hot
springs, which create localized warm microenvironments amid the cold
subarctic setting. Permafrost influences soil formation in higher
elevations, leading to thin, rocky soils, while lower valleys have more
fertile alluvial deposits. This combination supports a rich
biodiversity, including endemic Baikal species, and highlights the
reserve's importance in conserving the fragile balance of Siberian
mountain and lacustrine environments.
All natural complexes are preserved in the reserve, where elk, musk deer, white hare, brown bear, shrews, black-capped marmot live - only 41 species of mammals. Baikal omul, whitefish, sturgeon, grayling, taimen, lenok and other fish species are found in the waters of the reserve.
The fauna of the
Barguzin Reserve is quite diverse. The animals inhabiting its
territories belong to the inhabitants of the East Siberian taiga
complex.
Among mammals, forest animals are the permanent
inhabitants of the reserve, among which you can find: sable, flying
squirrel, Siberian weasel, musk deer, red deer and roe deer.
Inhabitants of mountain tundra territories are also found here -
Altai pikas, big-eared voles, black-capped marmots and reindeer. Of
the Holarctic species, the main inhabitants of the Barguzinsky
Reserve are: wolf, fox, wolverine, lynx, brown bear, elk, hare,
hare, housekeeper and red-backed vole.
The world of
amphibians and reptiles in the Barguzin reserve is rather small. Of
its representatives, only the sharp-faced and Siberian frogs and the
Siberian salamander are found. Of the reptiles, the common snake,
the common viper, the patterned snake, the common snake and the
viviparous lizard live here.
The ichthyofauna of the Barguzin
Reserve is poorly studied. The total number of aquatic individuals
is about 50 species, and only 11 of them are permanent inhabitants
of the inland water bodies of the reserve.
In spring, black
grayling, lenok and taimen enter the rivers. Kudaldinskoye Lake is
inhabited by sore species of fish: pike, perch, burbot, roach, ide
and minnow. The coastal areas of Lake Baikal are suitable for omul,
whitefish and Baikal sturgeon. In the deeper waters of Lake Baikal,
there are Baikal gobies and unique golomyanka.
The flora of the Barguzin Reserve is very diverse.
There are 877 species of vascular plants, 212 species of lichens,
about 170 species of fungi, more than 145 species of mosses and over
1215 species of algae.
The three-flowered bedstraw, the
lanceolate and marsh grapevine, and the common snake are the plants
that survived the glacial period and still grow on the territory of
the reserve today. Along with them, plants that appeared after
glaciation grow here - Smirnov's bluegrass, trihedral astragalus and
bristly aronia.
On the shores of Lake Baikal, cedar dwarf
trees, wild rosemary, lingonberry and other shrubs that prefer a
humid climate grow. Some types of alpine vegetation are also found
here: broad-leaved fireweed, round-leaved and skinny birches,
fragrant currants, moss, lichens.
The western slopes of the
Barguzin ridge are represented by three types of vegetation belts -
forest, subalpine and alpine.
In the forest belt, deciduous
forests and light forests grow, in which dwarf cedar, fir and pine
forests are found. Slightly higher are mixed, dark coniferous-light
coniferous forests, and the upper layer of the forest belt consists
only of dark coniferous forests.
The subalpine belt of the
reserve consists of fir-birch zones, fir and birch forests, cedar
dwarfs and dwarfs. The upper part of this belt is characterized by
stone placers and rocks, among which there are dwarf cedar and ash
rhododendron, fir, spruce, birch and various types of lichens.
The southern border of the reserve is located in the coastal
zone, so the main vegetation here is fir and cedar. The coastal
areas are covered with wild garlic and willow thickets. And the
vegetation cover consists of fragrant spikelets, lichens, thick
ribs, sheep fescues, badan, Altai lyceum, Siberian anemones and
Altai violets.