Upper-Taz Nature Reserve, Russia

The Upper-Taz Nature Reserve reserve is a state natural reserve. Created on December 24, 1986. The total area is 631,308 ha. The reserve is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation.

 

Geography

The Upper-Taz Nature Reserve is located on the West Siberian Plain, in the Krasnoselkupsky District of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District of Russia. Its length is 150 km from north to south and 70 km from west to east. The territory is divided into two forestries - Pokolskoye and Tazovskoye, bordering on a water protection clearing along the left bank of the Ratta river.

The Upper-Taz Nature Reserve is located within the Upper Taz Upland. The hillsides reach 50 meters with the formation of hilly-moraine ridges. The territory is strongly dissected by deep valleys of small rivers, well-drained, ravines with a dry bottom are developed. Soils are mostly acidic and transitional between forest and boggy, formed on loamy-clayey rocks. Large streams are the Pokolka (260 km) and Ratta (210 km) rivers.

The territory of the Upper-Taz Nature Reserve is 631 308 hectares, forests occupy 534 955 hectares, the non-forest area is 96 353 hectares, of which bogs (90 713 hectares) are of particular value, the water area occupies 5517 hectares.

Borders
northern - along the Taz river between the mouths of the rivers Alaga and Ratta;
east - along the Ratta river to the Togol-Ky and Kochepcha rivers;
southern - along the Ob-Taz-Yenisei watershed;
western - along the rivers Pokolka and Alaga.

 

Climate

The climate of the region is continental, with long cold winters and rather warm summers. The range of minimum winter and maximum summer temperatures ranges from -49 ° C to + 30 ° C. Winter lasts an average of 208 days, comes around the end of the second decade of October, fast spring - 15-18 days, summer is about 90 days, the warmest month is July (average temperature up to + 18 ° C). Autumn lasts about one and a half months.

The average duration of the frost-free period is 83 days. The reserve is located in a discontinuous permafrost zone.

 

Flora

The territory of the Upper-Taz Nature Reserve is included in the northern taiga subzone. The flora consists of dark coniferous taiga (104,069 ha), composed of spruce (15,014 ha), cedar (89,055 ha). There is also light coniferous taiga: pine (318,550 ha) and larch (59,021 ha). Deciduous and shrubs are represented by birch, aspen, tree willow, reaching an area of ​​40 463 hectares. A total of 310 species of vascular plants have been identified.

 

Fauna

The fauna is typical of the West Siberian taiga: elk, brown bear, wolf, red fox, wolverine, sable, ermine, weasel, American mink, squirrel, flying squirrel, chipmunk, muskrat and small mouse-like rodents. Among the birds there are white-tailed eagle, osprey, golden eagle, eagle owl, gyrfalcon, gray shrike, tules, red-breasted goose, osprey osprey, bean goose. Reptiles are represented by viviparous lizard and common viper, amphibians - by Siberian salamander.

Fish: nelma, muksun, chir, peled, whitefish-pyzhyan, taimen, tugun, and in the rivers of the Yenisei basin, lenok and Siberian grayling. In the middle and upper reaches of the Pokolka and Ratta, there are rich whitefish spawning grounds, therefore, despite the small area of ​​the water area in the reserve, its role in the preservation of spawning grounds in their natural state is very great.

In total, 548 species of insects, 23 species of fish and 1 species of fish-like, 2 species of amphibians, 2 species of reptiles, 199 species of birds and 36 species of mammals have been identified on the territory of the reserve.