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Established:
1931, closed from 1951-1960
Size: 24,447 ha (245 km2)
Buffer Zone: 46, 061 ha (460
km2)
Contact information:
Zheltukhin, Anatoliy Semyonovich, Director
Russia 172513, Tverskaya oblast, Nelidovsky raion,
p. Zapovednoye
Tel/fax:
(7-082-66) 2-24-33, 2-24-20
Email: c_forest@mail.ru
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 Tsentralno-Lesnoy
Zapovednik, located in the Tver Region of European
Russia, preserves one of the last expanses of
virgin spruce forest in Europe. Animals such as
wolf and lynx roam the dense forest of this nature
reserve, preying on wild boar, moose, and mountain
hare. Brown bears are the most numerous predators
in this boreal forest reserve, thanks in part to
the efforts of Dr. Pazhetnov, a dedicated biologist
who raises bear cubs, orphaned when hunters kill
their mothers. Impassable muskeg bogs, which took
millions of year to form, remain intact in this
wilderness, having dodged the blows of human
development over the centuries. Small hummocks of
trees surrounded by swampy bogs make ideal nesting
sites for large birds like golden eagle and black
stork. Bogs and swamps act as a natural filter,
purifying water and snowmelt that drain into the
West Dvina (Daugava), Dneipr, and Volga river
basins. Created in 1931, and dedicated a UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve in 1985, the Tsentralno-Lesnoy
Zapovednik is testimony to how ancient forests and
swamps have endured despite growing pressures of
modern
civilization.
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- Photo ©
1998 Rob
Badger
Zapovednik
Images
Zapovednik Facts
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Articles featuring this nature
reserve in
Russian Conservation News
journal
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Zapovednik
Facts:
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Animals
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The combination of virgin spruce forests and
impassable swamps in Tsentralno-Lesnoy Zapovednik
provides sanctuary to an abundance of wildlife. In
all, 55 species of mammals are found in the
reserve; 12 species of predatory mammals reside
permanently in the reserve. Predators range from
the tiny weasel (Mustela nivalis), which
snakes into mouse holes to seize its prey, to the
tall and lanky wolf (Canus lupis) whose main
menu consists of moose (Alces alces) and
wild boar (Sus scrofa). The pine marten
weaves in and out of fallen trees searching for
small rodents, while the furry raccoon dog
(Nyctereutes procyonoides) travels along
rivers and swampy meadows in search of food. The
European mink (Mustela lutreola) is
specially protected in the reserve's buffer zone,
where hunting on the species is prohibited. A
population of 16-20 lynx (Felix lynx)
inhabits mature forests, hunting mostly at night on
mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and rodents.
Fish-eating river otters (Lutra lutra) are
found in all bodies of water in the reserve.
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) have the
largest concentration of any predator in the
reserve. As many as 70 bears live in the zapovednik
and buffer zone, generally adhering to isolated
spruce forests and sometimes clearcuts. Bears make
dens among fallen trees and lie dormant until
spring, giving birth to cubs in January and
February. The bears come out of their dens at the
end of March, when they hunt moose and boar to
jumpstart their digestive systems. Plants, however,
make up the majority of the bear's diet, including
berries, grasses, and oats. Bear hunting is popular
in Russia, and orphaned bear cubs frequently starve
to death when their mothers are killed. In 1976, in
affiliation with the Tsentralno-Lesnoy Zapovednik,
Dr. Valentin Pazhetnov opened the "Chisty Les"
Biological Station to help save orphaned cubs.
Since then, Dr. Pazhetnov and his family have taken
in more than 100 orphaned bear cubs, raising them
until they are strong enough to be released back
into the wild.
Scientists have identified 203 species of birds
in the zapovednik, 42% of which are European.
Nesting birds include 137 species; 42 species are
permanent residents. Although 56 species of
forest-dwelling birds inhabit the woods, 60% of
those found in spruce forests are one of four
species: chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), wood
warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix), wren
(Troglodytes troglodytes), and redbreast
(Erithacus rubecula). Other birds found in mixed
forests include: chiffchaff (Phylloscopus
collybita), goldcrest (Regulus regulus),
and willow tit (Parus atricapillus).
Muskegs, or bogs, are important nesting and feeding
grounds for many birds, such as tree pipit
(Anthus trivialis), yellow wagtail
(Motacilla flava), and whinchat (Saxicola
rubetra). The larger willow ptarmigan
(Lagopus lagopus), common crane (Grus
grus), and great gray shrike (Lanius
excubitor) nest only on muskeg bogs. Open
swamps serve as substitute habitat for meadow birds
such as common shrike (Gallinago gallinago),
northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), and
Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata).
Rare birds like the black stork (Ciconia
nigra) and golden eagle (Aquila
chrysaetos) find refuge on islands of trees
surrounded by impassable bogs, which serve as their
feeding grounds. Greater spotted eagle (Aquila
clangra), peregrine falcon (Falco
peregrinus), merlin (Falco columbarius),
northern hobby (Falco subbuteo), and
red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus) are
also found in sphagnum forests near bogs.
Capercaille (Tetrao urogallus) use these
areas as their mating display grounds (leks); 37
leks are known in the reserve where up to 25 cocks
gather to show off their fancy tails, waddling and
hopping dance, and rattling song to hens.
A diversity of insects thrives in spruce
forests. Over 600 spruce pests alone live in weak,
dry, and fallen trees, mainly bark beetles
(Ipidaceae) and capricorn beetles
(Cerambycidaceae). Of the 250 species of
butterflies found in the reserve, the most common
are mourning-cloak butterfly (Vanessa
antiopa) and peacock butterfly (Vanessa
io).
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Vegetation
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Virgin Norway spruce (Picea abies)
dominates the terrain - its dense, multi-layered
foliage blocks out much of the light below. In
wintertime, snow piles onto the spruce's large
green fans, wrapping the trees in snowy blankets.
Norway spruce thrives in the cool and moist
Northern climate. The complex structure of virgin
spruce stands, with varying age groups up to 300
years old, enhances the stability of the ecosystem,
allowing natural processes of forest regeneration
and increasing resistance to pests. Under the
spruce canopy, shade-tolerant trees, ferns, and
berries sprout in the dim light over the
moss-covered forest floor.
More than a third of the reserve is covered with
secondary forests and pioneer species like birch
(Betula pendule, B. pubescens), aspen
(Populus tremula), and speckled alder
(Alnus incana) due to disturbance by fires
and windthrow, as well as logging while the
zapovednik was closed. Swampy scotch pine stands
make up 10% of the reserve, bordering bogs and
muskegs, which in turn cover 4% of the core area.
Six massive muskeg bogs break up the forested
terrain, barren of trees but for a few old,
scraggly stems scarcely hanging on in the spongy
tangle of lichens and peat moss. Muskegs make up
18% of the zapovednik and buffer zone combined, the
largest of which are Katin Mokh and Staroselsky
Mokh.
A small number of meadows expose floodplains and
river terraces. Black alder swamps (Alnus
glutinosa) hug the mouths of rivers in narrow
strips. Black alder carrs, woodlands formed over
bogs, cover 1% of territory, but have the highest
biodiversity, hosting 20% of the plant species.
Dark orange water flows from bogs into forest
streams, having been steeped in swampy vegetation
like tea. Whole swaths of forest are flooded with a
deluge of water from melting snow in spring.
In all, there are 546 vascular plants from 280
orders and 87 families in the zapovednik, a mixture
of boreal and southern broadleaf forest species.
Boreal species include: stub-wort (Oxalis
acetosella), beadruby (Majanthemum
bifolium), starflower (Trientalis
europaea), bilberry (Vaccinium
myrtillus), cowberry (Vaccinium vitus-idaea),
and pyrola (Pyrola spp.). Southern broadleaf
forest species include: woodrowel (Asperula
odorata), lungwort (Pulmonaria obscura),
hazelwort (Asarum europaeum), forest sedge
(Carex sylvatica), basswood (Tilia
cordata), and elm (Ulmus laevis and
U. glabra). Two rare plant species, listed in
the Russian and IUCN Red Books of rare and
endangered species, are the yellow ladies'-slipper
(Cypripedium calceolous), which grows
singularly and in groups of up to 50 plants, and
honesty (Lunaria rediviva), a relict of
European broadleaf forests, which grows thickly in
the floodplain of the Tyudma River.
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Geographical
Features
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The Tsentralno-Lesnoy Zapovednik is located on
the Great Russian Divide between the Volga, West
Dvina (Daugava), and Dneipr rivers. Eventually,
rivers originating here make their way to three
seas: the Baltic Sea (Daugava River), the Black Sea
(Dniepr River), and the Caspian Sea (Volga River).
The zapovednik is halfway between Moscow and St
Petersburg, in the western part of Tverskaya
Oblast. The slightly hilly terrain, called the
Southwest Valday highlands, has elevations ranging
from 220-270 meters above sea level. The area
receives an average of 700 mm precipitation
annually. Atlantic winds prevail. The maximum
summer temperature soars to 38°C, and the
minimum winter temperature drops to 48°C below
zero. January is the coldest month of the year,
with average temperatures of -10°C. July is
the warmest month of the year, with average
temperatures of +16°C. The skies are overcast
and cloudy half the time. Stable snow cover coats
the landscape from late November to mid-April, with
the maximum snowfall hitting at the end of
February.
Poorly drained clays are widespread in the
reserve which, together with the flat and low
terrain, give rise to swamps and bogs. The bedrock
is made of limestone, covered by a thick layer of
till (over 40 m), left by three glaciers. Many
shallow rivers and creeks flow through the forest
into narrow, V-shaped valleys. The Tudovka,
Zhukopa, Tyudma rivers drain to the Volga basin,
and the Mezha River drains into the Western Dvina
basin.
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Conservation
Status
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From the middle ages to the end of the 18th
century, the region where the zapovednik is
situated today constituted the border of ancient
Russia. Later the region became the boundary of the
Smolensk, Tver, and Novgorod Provinces, helping it
to avoid intense human development, which tended to
concentrate around administrative centers. As a
result, ancient virgin forests were preserved.
There are no major sources of air and water
pollution in the region, and the hydrological
regime of the bogs acts as a natural water filter.
Logging and wetland drainage outside the
zapovednik create problems for conservation in the
reserve. Cutting trees close to the border of the
reserve, together with the instability of
neighboring single-age plantations and drainage of
bogs, create unstable environments and affect
hydrological and other regimes of zapovednik
ecosystems.
Not all of the muskeg bogs are protected in
their entirety in the zapovednik. In order to
guarantee the ecological integrity of the delicate
muskeg ecosystems, which formed over millions of
years, the entire area of muskeg bogs around the
zapovednik should be granted fully protected
status.
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References
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Zapovedniks of the USSR: Western European
Part of Russia I. Mysl publishing agency, Moscow,
1988.
Brochures with lists of sphagnum mosses,
spiders, birds, mammals, and rare plants are
available from the zapovednik.
Text compiled and translated by Laura
Williams, in part based on materials provided
by the zapovednik staff. Reviewed by Tatiana
Minaeva of Tsentralno-Lesnoy Zapovednik.
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