Russian Arctic National Park. Russian Arctic National Park

The Arctic is a mysterious territory that has long attracted romantics and researchers. Boundless and, at first glance, deserted and lifeless spaces are actually full of a wide variety of life. And this is exactly what you can see by visiting National Park"Russian Arctic" - the northernmost of the protected lands Russian Federation, the third largest and youngest park in Russia.

How it all began

The Russian Arctic National Park in Russia has quite long history. It owes its creation to Pyotr Vladimirovich Boyarsky, known to most as a writer and publicist. But Pyotr Vladimirovich is a Soviet, and later Russian geographer, historian, physicist and equestrian sports professional. A keen explorer of the Arctic expanses, it was he who, in 1986, was the first to voice the idea of the need for comprehensive conservation and study of those northern expanses that many consider lifeless.

It was thanks to him that the federal reserve “Franz Josef Land” was formed in 1994, which later (in 2016) will become part of the Russian Arctic National Park.

The northernmost and youngest

The federal state budgetary institution, the Russian Arctic National Park, was formed by order of the Russian Government on a summer day in June 2009. Russian President Vladimir Putin advised all ministers to spend their holidays in these vast expanses, surrounded by landscapes that will fascinate forever. In 2011, the Federal State Budgetary Institution National Park "Russian Arctic" received a tax identification number and a place of registration in the northern capital of Russia - Arkhangelsk.

Endless spaces

Federal State Budgetary Institution National Park "Russian Arctic" is 793,910 hectares of marine waters and 632,090 hectares of land. This is the northern part of the North Island, all the islands of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago (Big and Small Oransky, Gemskerk and others) and 192 islands of the most glaciated land in our part of the Arctic - the Franz Josef Land archipelago. For information, the entire area of the Russian Arctic National Park with the lands of the reserve, which has already been mentioned, amounts to more than 8.8 hectares of protected areas.

For what

Preserving and restoring, if necessary, the unique nature of these territories is the main goal of the Russian Arctic National Park. The flora and fauna of these icy expanses, seemingly so lifeless, are mostly represented by species listed in the Red Book.

And first on the list is the narwhal - a one-horned whale, or sea unicorn, which became the emblem of the park. Polar bears, rare Atlantic walruses, bowhead whales and ivory gulls also live here. But the list of inhabitants of the land of colorful icebergs, turquoise sea surfaces and the never-setting polar sun does not end there. It is here that fifteen species of birds fly to raise their chicks.

Why park

All subjects of environmental protection areas are subordinate to the Ministry natural resources and ecology of the Russian Federation. The main document that regulates the activities of such entities is the Federal Law of March 14, 1995 No. 33 - Federal Law “On Specially Protected Natural Areas”. And when choosing the status of protected areas, you should take into account the main thing - what kind of activity and to what extent will be carried out here. In natural parks, a regime is established in which some economic activity is possible to ensure the existence of the park. And this and research, tourism, and regulated hunting.

Environmental problems of the Arctic territories

Today, not only Russia, but all the countries of the Arctic Council, created in 1996, are concerned about the state of the Arctic ecology. The development of oil and gas on the shelves, oil losses and spills in the Arctic Ocean, and uncontrolled poaching are causing irreparable damage to the most untouched territories.

We should not forget about the melting of ice as a result global warming. There are already known cases when, due to the rapid melting of ice, polar bears lost strength and drowned, unable to swim to the nearest ice floe.

The uniqueness of the Russian Arctic National Park

The great diversity of life in these areas is due to several factors. From the west, the park is washed by the Barents Sea, which does not freeze under the influence of the North Atlantic Current. To the east is the Kara Sea, which is completely covered with ice. And here is Franz Josef Land - the most glaciated part of the land. It is the combination of geographical location, the absence of offshore developments and not such a great distance from the main continent that contributes to the presence of a greater variety of life forms here than in other areas of the Arctic.

Features of tourism

One of the economic activities of the park is the development of eco-tourism. The first such season was held here in 2011, when 900 visitors visited. But tourism here is special. These are mainly Arctic cruises, when people observe landscapes, bird colonies and animals (walrus rookeries and bears with cubs) from aboard an icebreaker ship.

Tourists can feel the hardness of the lands glorified in the sagas of the Scandinavians and the tales of the Pomors only after going through certain procedures: washing their shoes in a special solution, driving across the sea on dangerous rubber zodiacs and being accompanied by park employees.

The most diverse bird colony in the Arctic is located on Rubini Rock. And Cape Zhelaniya was first Cape Zhelanny. This is what Willem Barents called it when he was looking for a passage to India. But the Pomors discovered it long before him. They sailed here to catch large fish and called this cape and the nearby waters Revenue. Cape Fligeli, which is located in the chain of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, is the northernmost point of the Eurasian continent.

“Arkhangelsk 163100” is the last post office on the way to the north. It is located on Hayes Island and is open from 10 to 11 from Tuesday to Friday. Champa Island is the northern Easter Island. Only here (and nowhere else on any of the 190 islands of Franz Josef Land) are there strange round stones of completely different sizes. Why they are and who made them, no one knows.

There is a polar meteorological station on Hooker Island and it is in the same form as it was built in 1929. The era of Soviet exploration of the Arctic appears before tourists in all its glory. The Germans established a base on Alexandra Island during World War II "Treasure Hunter"(Schatzgraber), which was discovered after the war. It was so well equipped that Soviet polar explorers used it for a long time.

From June to September 2017, the park conducts 5 expeditions with tourists on the icebreakers “50 Let Pobedy”, “Akademik Shokalsky” and Sea Spirit. And everyone can witness this wonderful journey. But volunteers from Arkhangelsk visit the Russian Arctic more often. Every year he and the park staff carry out environmental campaigns to collect garbage on the islands of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya.

The park contains unique places in Russia where brant geese of the Atlantic subspecies nest. The main nesting territories of the common eider of the bowhead subspecies are also located here, and the short-billed bean eider periodically nests.

Everyone who has visited the Russian Arctic National Park says that they did not even imagine such beauties and amazing discoveries when setting off on their trip. And forever they remain fans of these amazingly deceptive lifeless spaces, so deserted and so filled with life.

The Russian Arctic National Park was created on June 15, 2009. Then it included the northern part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, the islands of Big and Small Oransky, Loshkina, Gemskerk and a number of others. In 2016, it included the territories of the Franz Josef Land reserve, and with them the northernmost landmass of Eurasia - the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

The main task of the park is to preserve and restore the unique Arctic nature of the Russian Arctic. Its seemingly lifeless, icy, calm expanses are home to many animals. Five species - the white gull, the bowhead whale, the narwhal, the Atlantic walrus and the polar bear of the Kara-Barents Sea population - are listed in the international and Russian Red Books. By the way, the narwhal, or, as it is also called, the sea unicorn, is a symbol of the “Russian Arctic”. Most often it can be found in the waters of Franz Josef Land, which is also the modern habitat of the population of the bowhead whale, the rarest marine mammal of the North Atlantic.

The “Russian Arctic” is home to polar bears, Atlantic walruses, seals, bearded seals, arctic foxes, reindeer, beluga whales, the polar subspecies of auks and others. The numerous rocks of the park are inhabited by about 20 species of birds, five of which remain here for the winter. The park contains the only proven nesting sites in Russia for the Atlantic subspecies of the brant goose, the main nesting sites for the Greenland subspecies of the common eider, as well as periodic sites for the short-billed bean goose.

The inaccessibility and harsh climate of the park's territories allowed the populations of many animals to survive and preserved the pristine beauty of these places, despite the fact that people knew about the islands already in the 11th-12th centuries. Novgorodians came here, attracted by the opportunity for a rich harvest of fish, animal skins, “fish tooth” (walrus tusk), poultry and eider down. In addition to the harsh climate and low winter temperatures (sometimes the thermometer drops below -50°C), the local waters have an insidious feature. The Barents Sea, which washes the territory of the park from the west, does not completely freeze under the influence of the warm North Atlantic Current. The Eastern Kara Sea, on the contrary, is covered with solid ice for many months, which is why many sailors found themselves locked in ice.

Russian Arctic National ParkThe main task of the park is to preserve and restore the unique nature of the Russian Arctic. Its seemingly lifeless, icy, calm expanses are home to many animals.

However, in the 20th century, thanks to technical progress people have found a way to survive in the harsh climatic conditions of the Russian Arctic. The history of the Great Times is connected with this. Patriotic War. On Alexandra Island, the Germans built the meteorological base "Treasure Hunter" (Schatzgraber). According to the Wehrmacht's plan, she was supposed to monitor the weather so that the German fleet would attack Lend-Lease convoys arriving at the ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk only in suitable weather. For a long time, the exact location of the base was unknown, and they learned about its existence only because they accidentally intercepted a message, thanks to which it was possible to establish its approximate location.

Only after the war, Soviet researchers entered the island of Alexandra Land and accidentally stumbled upon this base. They discovered well-camouflaged shelters with a coastline. It immediately became clear what kind of base this was and for what purpose it existed. It was mined according to all the rules. It looked like people had just left. The houses were suitable for living, so it was cleared of mines, and for the first years, employees of the Soviet polar station on Alexandra Land lived here until a weather station with normal houses was built.

Now on the territory of the “Russian Arctic”, namely on the islands of Hooker and Huis, the northernmost post offices in the world operate.

As often happens, people left a lot of garbage on the islands of the “Russian Arctic”, which has an impact on Negative influence on environment parka. In this regard, workers national park Together with volunteers, they carry out annual cleaning of the area.

“The experience gained during the elimination of environmental damage on the islands of Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land was subsequently used to restore the original appearance of other protected areas of Russia, for example in Kamchatka,” notes the acting. Director of the Russian Arctic National Park Alexander Kirilov.

Today, to visit these lands, you don’t have to be a military man or a research scientist, you can just come on an excursion. Tours of the "Russian Arctic" are carried out from June to September, when weather conditions are most favorable for visiting the park by an unprepared person. The following routes are planned for 2017:

Murmansk - Franz Josef Land - North Pole - Franz Josef Land - Murmansk on the ship "50 Years of Victory".
Helsinki - Murmansk - Franz Josef Land - North Pole - Franz Josef Land - Murmansk - Helsinki on the ship "50 Years of Victory".
Longyearbyen - Franz Josef Land - Longyearbyen on the ship Sea Spirit.
Anadyr - Chukotka - Wrangel Island - New Siberian Islands - Severnaya Zemlya - Franz Josef Land - Murmansk on the ship "Akademik Shokalsky".
Longyearbyen - Murmansk - Franz Josef Land - Severnaya Zemlya - New Siberian Islands - Wrangel Island - Chukotka - Anadyr on the ship "Akademik Shokalsky".

It is known that Novgorodians went to Novaya Zemlya, a group of islands located between the Kara and Barents seas, in the 11th-12th centuries. Willem Barents circumnavigated Severny Island from its northern part and spent the winter on its eastern shores in 1596. And now, on June 15, 2009, it was organized Russian Arctic National Park.

The national park is one of the youngest protected areas in the Russian Federation. In December 2010 Russian Arctic Park added to the state nature reserve federal significance "Franz Josef Land"− the northernmost land area of Eurasia.

General information, relief and climate of the Russian Arctic National Park

Russian Arctic National Park often referred to as "Pearl of the Arctic". Its territory, in general, is 14,260 square kilometers, which is equal to 6,320 square kilometers of land and 7,940 square kilometers of the territorial waters of the Russian Federation. Ice of continental origin covers more than 85% of the islands' surface.

The park is dominated by polar-arctic climate, which is characterized by temperatures close to zero or negative values of the annual radiation balance. Summer is cold and short, lasting from June to August. Winter, on the contrary, is harsh and long: it begins in mid-October and ends in March.

The national park is located in the Arkhangelsk region. There are no permanent residents in the protected area.

Russian Arctic National Park and its vegetation

The protected area contains unique, almost untouched ecosystems. Vegetable world represented by some species lichens, mosses, as well as a small number of flowering plants.

Russian Arctic National Park and its fauna

The animal world is rich and diverse. The Arctic waters are inhabited throughout the year bowhead whale and narwhal. Large flocks of birds nest on steep and high capes, thereby forming bird colonies. These are mainly eiders and guillemots.

Novaya Zemlya hosts very rich rookeries of Arctic mammals: arctic foxes, walruses, harp seals and seals. One of the most important breeding and habitat centers is located there. polar bear , which belongs to the marine Kara-Barents population. This animal is a specially protected animal species and is listed in the Russian Red Book.

Goals and objectives

the main objective Russian Arctic National Park− preserve the cultural, historical and natural heritage of the Western sector of the Russian Arctic. In addition to the typical reserving functions for any national park, "Russian Arctic" The task of clearing the territory is urgent.

The national park is developing rapidly ecological tourism. The park is also intended to ensure ecological balance over a large Arctic territory.

Location: Russia, Arkhangelsk region, part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago and the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

Square: 1.5 million hectares

Specialization: preservation and study rare species animals and natural objects and complexes.

"Russian Arctic" is one of the youngest national parks in Russia. Under his management is the state nature reserve of federal significance “Franz Josef Land”, formed on April 23, 1994, the area of which exceeds 7 million hectares, of which 80% is marine waters.

The national park carries out active environmental protection activities - this includes eliminating accumulated environmental damage in the Arctic and preserving such rare species of animals as the polar bear. All these projects have been supported by the Russian Geographical Society since 2010.

Thus, in April 2013, with grant support from the Russian Geographical Society scientists began the program “Study of the role of the Franz Josef Land reserve in the conservation of populations of rare species of marine mammals and polar bears.” Until September, employees of the Russian Arctic National Park studied the islands of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, which are a kind of “last refuge” for animals displaced from everywhere by civilization and exposed to climate change.

Diet for a polar bear

During the spring and summer stages of the expedition, scientists studied Alexandra Land, Graham Bell Island, the waters of the White, Barents and Kara Seas from ships and helicopters and traveled more than 400 kilometers on snowmobiles to collect data on walruses, cetaceans and the largest land predator - the white bear

Today, the number of polar bears does not exceed 20-25 thousand individuals worldwide. The reduction in the area of ice cover in the Arctic seas and changes in the age structure of sea ice are forcing polar bears to spend more time on the coast and on islands; there is probably a redistribution of animals within the range. Remaining on the shore for a long time, polar bears are deprived of access to their main source of food - seals that live on sea ice(ringed seal and bearded seal). Hungry predators can come out to people more often, causing conflict situations than putting themselves in danger. To preserve this species, the Russian Geographical Society has been supporting the Polar Bear project since 2010., the goal of which is the conservation and study of these predators in the Russian Arctic, the development of non-invasive methods of collection biological material(shed guard hairs, excrement) for genetic studies of the population structure of the species in Russia.

The summer of 2013 in the Arctic was very different from the average long-term statistics - the amount of ice decreased noticeably. Such changes cannot but affect the inhabitants of the region. During the expedition, scientists did not see a single sea ice floe. And since the life of local seals - seals and bearded seals - is closely connected with the ice, it is not surprising that these animals have never been encountered by researchers. At the same time, seals are the basis of the polar bear’s diet. With their departure, predators began to be seen at bird markets, where they tried to pick out little auks from under stones, and at walrus rookeries. What is noteworthy is that the scientists saw the largest number of bears - 11 individuals - on one of the islands precisely at the walrus rookery.

Whales in the hole

Spring and summer expeditions to Franz Josef Land helped identify new concentrations of the rare Svalbard population of bowhead whales, listed in the International Red Book, which in itself is a scientific achievement.

Whales live in the waters of the archipelago all year round. It is in the waters of the reserve and its immediate surroundings that the only known stable summer feeding areas for bowhead whales are located, and the polynyas are their regular wintering grounds. Monitoring work National Park "Russian Artica", held in last years, including with grant support from the Russian Geographical Society, convincingly showed that the waters of Franz Josef Land are a key habitat for bowhead whales, which must be preserved for the conservation of these animals.

Expedition results

Despite the small amount of ice and the short spring field season, scientists assess the results of the work as good. Among other things, the researchers mapped the distribution of marine mammals and polar bears in the Franz Josef Land Nature Reserve. Scientists have collected a lot of material about pinnipeds, in particular walruses - this new information according to their biology and distribution in the archipelago. For example, for the first time, data has been collected that most fully covers the entire summer population of the Atlantic walrus on Franz Josef Land, and information has been obtained on the interannual variability of the number of animals in rookeries. And the material collected on the population genetic characteristics of Atlantic walruses can play an important role in understanding the conservation status of the group living in the reserve.

During the spring-summer season of 2013, scientists developed methodological approaches, tested new technical means, such as small aircraft for observations in the Arctic, purchased equipment for monitoring animal populations. Thanks to all this, the researchers intend to continue to carry out the work they have begun.

Among the results of the work, it is worth highlighting the fact that the research carried out partly formed the basis for the proposal to transfer the Franz Josef Land reserve to the status of a national park. The proposal to change the category is due to the fact that the reserve regime makes it difficult to manage this specially protected natural area, especially the protection of its natural complexes.

However, transferring the reserve to the category of a national park can significantly reduce the area of protected territory. Currently, according to documents, the area of the reserve is 4.2 million hectares. However, in reality it occupies a territory 2.5 times larger: in 2006, the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute carried out a mathematical calculation using the coordinates of corner points, according to which the area of the reserve exceeded 11 million hectares. The sea area of Franz Josef Land is 9.407 million hectares, which is 3.5 times more than the 2.591 million hectares stated in the documents.

Scientists see a solution to the problem in the creation of a marine protective zone, which should cover important habitats of marine mammals and polar bears, as well as the most important areas of the marine ecosystem for these animals, for example, french polynyas.

Work continues

This year, employees of the Russian Arctic National Park continue the work they started and have already carried out field work on Alexandra Land and Franz Josef Land to monitor the wormwood fauna, populations of marine mammals and polar bears. It is planned to continue work on studying the population genetic structure of the Atlantic walrus herd, monitoring the polar bear population using genetic methods, as well as monitoring walrus rookeries using remote sensing.