Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve

Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve (Бярэзінскі біясферны запаведнік) is a nature reserve in the northern part of Belarus, 120 km from Minsk. It is located on the border of Vitebsk and Minsk regions. The centre of the reserve is the village of Domzheritsy in Lyepyel District.

The reserve serves for the protection and breeding of rare species of animals and birds, which are listed in the Red Book of Belarus. Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve is a part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Profile
The total area of the reserve zone is 85.2 thousand hectares. Over 60% of the territory is covered with marshes. Many endangered species of animals, birds, plants and insects are registered in the reserve. 23 rare European biotopes are recorded here.

History
The idea to create a nature reserve in the area was first voiced by Anatoly Vladimirovich Fedyushin, a scientist and a head of the site investigation committee assigned in 1924 by the State officials. Berezinskiy Nature Reserve was established on January 30, 1925. It became one of the first nature reserves in the USSR. In 1927 the first inventory work started, and in 1928-1930 the resettlement of 30 farmsteads from the protected lands began. In 1929, forest inventory work was organized, and in 1935, experimental farms for beaver and elk breeding were established. In 1936 the area of the reserve was expanded to 67.3 hectares, but in 1938 the Belarusian authorities excluded 18.7 hectares of land from it under the reason of having no "valuable species of fauna".

During the World War II and the German occupation, the reserve was seriously damaged: all archives, scientific collections and materials were destroyed, service buildings were burnt down. The total damage caused to the Berezinskiy Reserve was estimated at 18.7 million roubles. In 1951, the authorities decided to liquidate the nature reserve and open a hunting reserve in its place. In 1958, however, the Berezinskiy was restored to its initial status.

In 1979, Berezinsky was granted the status of a biosphere reserve. In 1993, the Council of Europe included it in the network of biogenetic reserves, and in 1995 awarded it with the European Diploma for successful work on the conservation of biodiversity and natural complexes. The diploma is awarded for a period of 5 years, and the reserve has been successfully evaluated in the future and has been awarded a renewal of the diploma in 2000, 2005, and 2010.

Berezinskiy Biosphere Reserve became a Ramsar site in 2010. As of 2019, the Reserve leads conservation, scientific, environmental education, tourism and commercial activities. The Reserve has received a certificate of compliance with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and is engaged in logging and timber processing business.

Landscapes
The marshes of the Reserve cover an area of more than 520 km2, which makes it one of the largest marshlands in Europe. The predominant type is fen (more than 54.5%), 35.3% are midland bogs, 10.3% are raised. The Berezina river flows through the reserve for 100 km, fed by more than 50 small tributaries. In its basin there are four large interconnected lakes: Olshitsa, Plavno, Manets, Domzheritskoe, as well as many smaller lakes.

Biodiversity
Berezinskiy is a home to many species of plants and animals, some of which are listed in the Red Book. In total, 56 species of animals, 237 species of birds, 10 species of amphibians, 5 species of reptiles, and 34 species of fish are registered in the Reserve. All of the ‘Big European Five’ (biggest mammals) live here: European bison, brown bear, moose, Eurasian lynx. Other animals registered in Berezinsky are Eurasian beaver, Eurasian otter, European badger, among birds — Osprey, black stork, short-toed snake eagle, common crane, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, Eurasian eagle-owl, peregrine falcon, willow ptarmigan, Eurasian three-toed woodpecker.

In 1954 the American mink was introduced into the reserve, and in 1956 started the work on acclimatization of the red deer. The flora of the Reserve holds more than 50% of the total diversity of the Belorussian flora. There are 813 species of vascular plants, 216 species of mosses, 261 species of lichens, and 464 species of fungi. The main forest-forming tree species are birch, alder, aspen, oak, Fraxinus, etc. The world of insects in the reserve is represented by 33 species of aquatic true bugs from 10 families. By 2006, 4 alien animal species and at least 30 invasive plant species had been detected in the reserve.

Tourism
Berezinskiy Biosphere Reserve is one of the leading ecotourism centres in Belarus, with more than a third of its income coming from tourism. The visitors are offered a variety of trails, education programmes, and festivals. The infrastructure includes a network of hiking and cycling routes, research stations. and several museums. In 2019, the reserve has received 57,000 tourists. Depending on the season, brown bears, Lyrurus, elks and deers can be observed in the wild.