Basegi Reserve is a state natural reserve in the Perm Territory,
Russia. The city was founded on October 1, 1982 (Resolution of the
Council of Ministers of the RSFSR No. 531) with the aim of
preserving a large array of indigenous Middle Ural spruce and fir
forests located in the foothills of the Basega ridge. At the time of
organization, the area of the reserve was 19.3 thousand hectares;
its territory included three mountain peaks, forming the Basegi
ridge, and the adjacent forest.
In 1993, the reserve was
expanded (order of the Council of Ministers of the Russian
Federation No. 244-r dated February 15, 1993) due to its former
buffer zone, which consisted partly of uncut primary forests, partly
of relatively young felling areas. As a result of the expansion of
the territory, the total area of the reserve is 37 935 hectares,
the buffer zone along the boundaries of the reserve is 21 345
hectares (Decision No. 29 of the Perm Regional Executive Committee
dated 02.02.1983; Order of the Administration of the Perm Region
dated 18.11.93 No. 557-r).
The reserve is under the
jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the
Russian Federation. The administration of the reserve is located in
the city of Gremyachinsk, at the address: Gremyachinsk, st. Lenin,
house 100.
A milestone in the environmental life of the Kama region in the 80s
of the last century was the struggle for the creation of the Basegi
nature reserve. The issue of organizing a nature reserve on the
territory subordinate to the city of Gremyachinsk and the Gornozavodsky
district has a long history.
Its creation was preceded by many
years of expeditionary research. K.N. Igoshina studied the flora and
vegetation of the Basegi ridge in 1934-1944. Participants of a complex
expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences also visited here, including
famous ornithologists E.M. Vorontsov. and Uvarova V.Ya.
The
question of creating a reserve was first raised in 1947 at a meeting of
the academic council of the Natural Science Institute (ENI) at Perm
State University. Famous scientists Krasovsky P.N. and Ponomarev A.N.
proposed to organize a reserve on Basegi, taking into account the unique
floristic composition, richness of the landscape and special forest
conditions. In 1959 the oldest forester of the Urals N.I. Kerzhentsev
again raised the issue of organizing a reserve with the aim of
preserving typical areas of mountain forests. This idea found support
among local authorities, and the Alexandrovsky City Executive Committee
decided to create a state reserve. The total area was determined to be
106 thousand hectares. However, most of the forest areas that were
planned to be given over to the reserve were transferred to the timber
enterprises of the USSR Ministry of Forestry, and their industrial
felling began.
In 1975, the presidium of the Gornozavodsky
District Society for Nature Conservation (chairman of the society
Borovikov N.A.) adopted a resolution “On the organization of a reserve
of mountain forests of the Middle Urals.” In 1977, employees of the Perm
forest experimental station Voronova O.I., Shergold O.E., Kanisev G.N.
prepared proposals for a feasibility study of the project for creating
the Basegi nature reserve.
In 1978, the first expedition, organized
by the Department of Biogeocenology and Nature Conservation (BOP),
headed by the head of the department Voronov G.A., went to the Baseg
region. Under the leadership of Voronov G.A. Complex expeditions began
to work, confirming the uniqueness of this territory.
On February 14,
1979, the regional executive committee made decision No. 32 “On the
organization of the Basegi reserve in the Gornozavodsky district of the
Perm region” with an area of 35.8 thousand hectares; it was called
botanical and faunal and was intended to create a “launching pad” for
the creation of a protected area on its basis. On behalf of the Council
of Ministers of the RSFSR, the State Planning Committee of the RSFSR
reviewed and rejected this decision, pointing out the inadequacy of the
feasibility study, the inconsistency of the decision with one of the
points of the “Fundamentals of Forest Legislation” and the lack of
indications of the departmental affiliation of the reserve and the
sources of its financing. In this regard, the Perm Regional Executive
Committee instructed the Department of BOP of Perm State University,
together with the forestry department, to develop a project for
organizing the Basegi nature reserve. Expeditionary work carried out
during 1979-1981. University staff, students and scientists of Moscow
State University, ENI scientists, forestry department employees, allowed
us to get an idea of the landscapes, the nature of vegetation, soil
cover, and the characteristics of flora and fauna. The only suitable
territory was the mountainous zone of the Basegi ridge, where mid-taiga
forests were preserved in an untouched state, where it was possible to
preserve landscapes that play an important environment-forming and
water-protective role. By the end of 1980, a project for organizing the
reserve was prepared.
Thus, the creation of a reserve became an
urgent need. Scientists and the public managed to convince the
authorities that preserving the Basegi mountain range in its natural
state will help avoid a number of dangerous phenomena: shallowing of
watercourses, including tributaries of the Chusovaya River; widespread
development of erosion of mountain slopes; sharp depletion of valuable
plant communities; reduction in the number of game species. Among other
things, the “valuable” forests on the gentler slopes of the ridge had
been cut down by that time, and the resistance of the Ministry of
Forestry weakened.
Finally, on February 11, 1981, the Perm
Regional Executive Committee adopted decision No. 25 “On the
organization of the Basegi reserve,” which was approved only a year and
a half later, after lengthy meetings in various departments,
publications in periodicals in support of the creation of the reserve,
on October 1, 1982. by decision of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR
No. 531. However, out of the original planned area of 38 thousand
hectares, only 19.4 thousand hectares of the land fund were transferred
to the reserve. Nevertheless, the reserve was created, and this was a
great victory for Perm scientists and the scientific community in
protecting the nature of the Kama region.
All these years of
struggle for the creation of the reserve (since 1978), it was the team
of the Department of Biogeocenology and Nature Conservation of Perm
State University, its head Voronov G.A. (Doctor of Geographical
Sciences, Professor, Honored Ecologist of Russia) were the driving,
consolidating force that united scientists and the public in organizing
the first state reserve in the Perm region.
Only in 1993, as a
result of persistent efforts of scientists (primarily employees of the
Department of Biogeocenology and Nature Conservation of PSU), the
regional administration, and a number of publications, the area of the
reserve was increased to 37,922 hectares.
From 1982 to 1985
Department staff conducted a detailed inventory of the flora and fauna
of the Basegi Nature Reserve. The greatest increase in forest management
and economic development was noted in the reserve from 1985 to 1986. It
was then that the material base was thoroughly laid out: forest
districts and a security system were created, cordons were built,
machinery and equipment were purchased, and a housing stock of 8 houses
appeared.
Since 1986, a scientific department began to function,
headed by V.Z. Rubinstein, and since 1987 he became director of the
reserve. It was under Rubinstein V.Z. Intensive preparations began for
the expansion of the reserve and the opening of a new Vishera branch on
its basis, which in 1991 received the status of an independent reserve.
The first biological survey of natural components of the environment was
carried out much earlier (before the creation of the scientific
activities of the reserve). Even before the opening of the reserve,
employees of Perm University carried out inventory work on the flora and
fauna. Therefore, the first lists of animals, insects, birds, and plants
were partially included in the design of the reserve.
Over the more
than twenty years of existence of the reserve, significant scientific
work has been done on its territory by students and staff of Perm
universities, Moscow State University and the scientific department of
the Basegi reserve. The result of the work was a research report and a
number of publications.
In 1987, the first book, “Chronicles of
Nature,” was compiled, and in 1989, the second. In 1991, the third book
“Chronicles of Nature” for 1987-1989 was created. Since then, books have
been compiled annually. The lack of funds for maintaining the reserve
and conducting environmental monitoring forces the scientific department
of the reserve to look for contract work, win grants and conduct the
necessary program at the expense of third-party funds. From 1995 to the
present day, the reserve's scientific department has used the benefits
of contract work to carry out research needed by the reserve. In
particular, it becomes possible to widely cover areas outside the
boundaries of the reserve. This makes it possible to collect information
on the distribution, abundance and, in part, ecology of rare species of
flora and fauna. Along with this, work continues to compile a database
of environmental monitoring for all the years of the reserve’s
existence. The transition to a qualitatively new level of creating
electronic forms of the “Chronicles of Nature”, the possibilities of
technical processing of the obtained materials allow us to make some
generalizations of many years of research.
Today, the territory
of the reserve has been expanded twice and amounts to 37,957 hectares,
although the area of the protective zone has decreased and amounts to
21,345 hectares. The reserve has its own “address”. An environmental
monitoring laboratory with a field branch on the territory of the
reserve has been equipped. Here, on the territory, a research hospital
has been operating since 1995; Colleagues from near and far abroad are
interested in the experience of the scientific department. In the
reserve, despite all the economic difficulties, the necessary amount of
planned scientific, conservation and environmental education work is
being carried out, the study of the natural landscapes of certain
territories is being developed, and an attempt is being made to expand
the territory again due to the cleared areas around the reserve.
In 2001, an environmental education department was created in the Basegi
State Nature Reserve. Employees of this department organize and carry
out environmental education work. Environmental awareness and education
activities are supported by employees of the reserve's scientific
department. There is a certain infrastructure: an information center in
the administrative building, an ecological trail in a protected area.
On-site events are also organized at educational and cultural
institutions.
Environmental educational activities are carried out in
the following main areas: work with the media, museum work and the
organization of information centers for visitors, environmental
excursions, work with schoolchildren, interaction with teachers,
organization of environmental holidays and events, etc.
The basis
for the active environmental and educational work of the reserve is the
museum’s natural exhibition and information center in the administrative
building. Various exhibitions are constantly organized here. At the
information center you can watch films about animals and plants, about
the Basegi Nature Reserve and other protected areas.
Working with
schoolchildren is one of the priority areas of environmental and
educational activities of the Basegi Nature Reserve. Children are the
main participants in many events. Every year, holidays and promotions,
competitions and quizzes are held dedicated to various dates of the
environmental calendar. The environmental action “March of Parks” has
become traditional in our small Ural town of Gremyachinsk. In recent
years, thanks to the efforts of the reserve’s staff, other settlements
in the Perm Territory have learned about this campaign.
In the
summer-autumn period of the year, educational ecological excursions have
been and remain an effective form of work. For this purpose, an
excursion ecological route “To the top of Northern Baseg” has been
created and is functioning in the reserve. In modern conditions, the
activities of the environmental education department are aimed at
solving the following tasks: increasing the public status of the Basegi
reserve, creating a positive image of specially protected natural areas
- a unique part of the national natural heritage.
The Basegi State Reserve is located on the territory of the Gremyachinsky urban district and the Gornozavodsky municipal district of the Perm Territory. The territory of the reserve includes the Basegi mountain range and adjacent foothills. The reserve is located at the watershed of the rivers Usva and Vilva - tributaries of the Chusovaya River. The territory is located within the western macroslope of the Main Ural Range.
The average annual precipitation is 730 mm, ranging from 450 mm to 1100 mm. The average annual air temperature is from -1.0 to -1.4 ° C. The maximum temperatures in summer can reach + 40.0 ° C, the minimum in winter is up to -48 ° C. The climate of this area is characterized by cold winters and cool summers with sharp daily temperature fluctuations.
The fauna of the reserve includes more than 520 species of animals,
including over 45 rare ones. The reserve is home to 51 species of
mammals, more than 150 species of birds, 2 species of reptiles, 17
species of fish and 3 species of amphibians. The flora is typical for
the taiga zone, but Basegi is home to 17 species of plants that are not
found anywhere else in the world, 14 relicts of the pre-glacial and
post-glacial periods, 5 relics of the ice age, 3 plant species are
listed in the Red Book of Russia (calypso bulbosa, Shiverekia
Podolskaya, lobaria pulmonosa ), 24 species are included in the Red Book
of the Middle Urals.
Species of the reserve included in the Red
Book of the Russian Federation
Lichens:
Lobaria pulmonaria
Angiosperms:
Calypso bulbosa
Leafless mullet (Epipogium aphyllum)
Invertebrates:
Mnemosyne (Parnassius mnemosyne)
Bumblebee
(Bombus paradoxus)
Fish:
European grayling (Thymallus
thymallus)
Common sculpin (Cottus gobio)
Common taimen (Hucho
taimen)
Birds:
Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
Great
Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola)
European blue tit (Parus cyanus cyanus)
Gray Shrike (Lanius
excubitor)
White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Peregrine
falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Eagle owl
(Bubo bubo)
Black Stork (Ciconia nigra)