The state natural reserve of federal significance
"Yuzhno-Kamchatsky" named after TI Shpilenko is located in the south
of Kamchatka on the territories of the Ust-Bolsheretsky and
Elizovsky municipal districts of the Kamchatka Territory. It was
created on April 8, 1983. Since its inception, it has been under the
management of the Kronotsky State Nature Reserve. The reserve is
located in the southern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula and includes
the islands of Gavryushin Kamen and Utashud. The total area is 322
thousand hectares, including a three-mile adjacent sea area.
The South Kamchatka Federal Reserve is included in the UNESCO World
Natural Heritage List in the nomination "Volcanoes of Kamchatka".
The southern tip of Kamchatka was declared a nature
reserve at the end of the 19th century. Since 1882, the Asachinsky
reserve has existed here, and on Cape Lopatka, which today is one of
the unique natural objects of the South Kamchatka reserve, beaver
rookeries have been protected since 1892. In 1927, by a resolution
of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, the state
reserve "Beaver rookeries at Cape Lopatki" was approved. The alien
Cossacks who mastered the new lands rich in furs of the Russian
Empire called otters - sea animals from the weasel family with very
beautiful, thick and warm fur - beavers. It was them who needed to
be saved from complete destruction. To protect the reserve from 1928
to 1932, there was a cordon, which was later abolished. Thanks to
the efforts of the regional environmental organizations of Kamchatka
and with the active support of the Main Directorate of Hunting
Economy and Reserves under the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR,
the South Kamchatka Republican Zoological Sanctuary was created by
the decision of the executive committee of the Kamchatka Regional
Council of People's Deputies dated 11.04.75 8-41 and organized in
1982 on the territory of Yelizovsky and Ust-Bolsheretsky districts,
an area of 247 thousand hectares.
Today, in the South
Kamchatka Federal Reserve, not only sea otters are protected, but
also the natural complexes of the South of Kamchatka, its landscape
and biological diversity.
Almost all reservoirs on
the territory of the reserve are spawning grounds for Pacific
salmon: pink salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon, as well as kundzha,
char. Chinook salmon also enter the Ozernaya River in small numbers.
Lake Kurilskoe is the largest sockeye salmon spawning ground in
Asia. The marine ichthyofauna is typical for the shallow coastal
waters of South Kamchatka. Amphibians are represented by the
Siberian salamander. There are no land reptiles. But in the waters
near Cape Lopatka, a leatherback turtle was caught.
The
avifauna of the reserve is peculiar. The migratory routes of many
bird species run over its territory. In autumn, birds seem to
"flock" here from the eastern and western coasts of Kamchatka, and
in spring, it is here that the flow of migrants flying north along
the Kuril Islands is divided into two channels that go around the
Kamchatka Peninsula from the west (along the Okhotsk coast) and from
the east (along the Pacific coast). The avifauna inventory is still
incomplete. Over 170 species have been identified, of which about
100 are nesting. 36 species and subspecies are included in the Red
Book of Kamchatka, 17 - in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
The appearance of the avifauna quite fully reflects the
composition of the Kamchatka Peninsula as a whole. But some of the
migrants are species that nest outside the region or even on the
North American mainland. Up to 10 pairs of Steller's sea eagles, up
to 12 pairs of peregrine falcons nest within the boundaries of the
reserve. More than 50 colonial seabird settlements are concentrated
here. Gyrfalcons winter in the reserve, and along the sea coasts
thousands of anseriformes, gulls and auks gather for the winter: the
largest concentrations of waterfowl are located in the First Kuril
Strait, which separates Cape Lopatka and Shumshu Island.
The
mammalian fauna includes 44 species, of which 13 are listed in the
Red Book of Kamchatka, 7 - in the Red Book of the Russian
Federation. Predominantly marine mammals are classified as rare.
Sable, wolverine, ermine mink are common in the reserve. There are
numerous bears (1000 individuals - the largest protected group), sea
otters, seals, foxes in some places, wolves and lynxes, and American
mink. On the slopes of the seaside terraces (Cape Sivuchiy and the
oceanic coast), colonies of Kamchatka marmot are not uncommon. In
volcanic areas, gophers and pikas are common. Of great value is the
coastal population of the bighorn sheep, one of the few that
survived on the peninsula. Unfortunately, like in many parts of
Kamchatka, reindeer are almost never seen in the reserve.
The
group of marine mammals is diverse: whales are not uncommon near the
coast of the reserve: gray whales, minke whales, blue whales, fin
whales and sei whales were noted. Among dolphins, killer whales and
white-winged porpoises are most often observed. Pinnipeds, including
hundreds of sea lions, are found on rocky promontories, reefs and
islands. Sea otters form large clusters near the coast - about 1.5–2
thousand individuals keep within the boundaries of the reserve. The
South Kamchatka grouping of sea otters is a single whole with the
North Kuril one.
The flora of the reserve includes 438 species of vascular plants from 212 genera, 109 families. The vegetation of the South Kamchatka Federal Reserve is influenced by mountainous relief, a developed river network, active volcanism, and a cool and humid climate. Here the distribution limit of many Kamchatka species passes; on the territory of the reserve there are species characteristic of the Kuril Islands: Saussurea riederi, enchanting peracarp (Regacarpa circaeoides), Rieder's bathing house (Trollius riederanus), Shamisson's bell Thermopsis lupinoides), Steller's Veronica (Veronica stellerti) and a number of others. 7 species of flora of the reserve belong to the category of rare and protected species of the Kamchatka Territory. The largest areas are occupied by alder and cedar elfin trees, mountain tundra. There are areas of bogs, floodplain and stone birch forests, various meadows.
Kuril Lake is the deepest (316 m) fresh
water body of the Kamchatka Territory, Asia's largest spawning
ground for valuable salmon - sockeye salmon. Every year up to 2
million fish enter the lake for spawning.
Cape Lopatka - the
southern tip of Kamchatka, stretches for 25 km with a width of 2 to
7 km. Its surface is largely swampy and is distinguished by an
abundance of tundra lakes. The scapula acquires special significance
during periods of bird migration. In terms of density and intensity,
the autumn flow of migrants through the cape is unmatched in the Far
East region. On peak days, during daylight hours, from 9 to 110
thousand individuals of land birds fly here.
Utashud is a
small rocky island devoid of tree and shrub vegetation in the
Vestnik Pacific Bay 4 kilometers from the coast. These are adjacent
islets, two of which are connected at high tide, and the third on
such days can be reached on foot in shallow water. The coast is
decorated with pointed kekuras 153 and 183 meters high. Utashud is
bordered by a reef, in places densely overgrown with seaweed. On the
island there is a large concentration of sea otters, there are
reproductive rookeries of seals and anthurs, and in the
spring-summer period sea lions come here. Colonies of 10 species of
seabirds with a total number of more than 22 thousand pairs are
concentrated on Utashud, including one of the largest settlements of
Pacific gulls in Kamchatka (4 thousand pairs) and a colony of
hatchets (10 thousand pairs).
Ilyinsky volcano is one of the
youngest active volcanoes in Kamchatka with a regular conical
structure 1578 m high. The slopes and foot of the volcano are
covered with powerful pumice fields. The only eruption in historical
time occurred in 1901.
Volcano Kambalny is the southernmost
active volcano in Kamchatka, located off the coast of the Sea of
Okhotsk and closing the meridional Volcanic Ridge. It is a
cone-shaped stratovolcano 2161 m above sea level. On March 25, 2017,
for the first time in the history of observations, the Kambalny
eruption began. The volcano threw a column of ash to a height of 5–6
kilometers, the ash plume stretched for several hundred kilometers
in the southwest direction. According to tephrochronologists, a
strong eruption of the volcano last occurred 600 years ago, there is
information about its increased activity about 250 years ago.
Kutkhiny Baty is a natural monument, a bizarre outcropping of
pumice stones 4 kilometers from the source of the Ozernaya River
(Kuril Lake). According to legend, these are boats (similar to
dugouts or Indian pies), once put by the wise raven Kutkh for
drying, and forgotten by him on the shore. For the indigenous people
of Kamchatka, the Itelmen, the main god is the raven Kutkh, and the
bat is a long boat.