#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Established on February 23, 1979, by a decree from the RSFSR government, the state natural biosphere reserve comprises four sections: the Main Tundra Area, Lukunsky, Ary-Mas, and Arctic, located in the Hatanga and Dikson districts of Taimyr. The Arctic section was added later, created by a decree from the Russian government on July 9, 1994. Today, the reserve operates under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, with management handled by the United Directorate of Taimyr Reserves since 2012.
Several facts highlight the reserve’s uniqueness. For instance, it is entirely located in the permafrost zone, and lake Taimyr, which is part of the reserve, is the fourth largest lake in Russia, covering an area of 4 560 square kilometers. Additionally, in the Ary-Mas section, you can find Dahurian larches that grow up to 10 meters tall, making it the northernmost forest in the world, as noted by the Our Taimyr Telegram channel.
While the reserve is home to only 21 species of wild animals, it boasts the largest wild reindeer herd in the world.
Key conservation efforts in the reserve also focus on nesting habitats for waterfowl and near-water birds, the Taimyr population of musk oxen (the largest in Russia), and rare and endangered species, including those listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation: the white-billed diver, the red-breasted goose, the whooper swan, the white-tailed eagle, the golden eagle, the gyrfalcon, the peregrine falcon, the polar bear, and the Laptev walrus. The reserve also supports valuable fish species such as nelma, muksun, omul, chir, and vendace, according to the Taimyr Reserves directorate.
Earlier, This Is Taimyr reported on updated estimates of the musk ox population in the northern region.
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Text: Maria Sokolova, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
