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The state nature reserve of regional significance "Yuntolovsky" is located in the western part of the Primorsky district of St. Petersburg in the north-eastern part of the Lakhta-Olgino district. The territory is located in the western part of the Lakhtinskaya depression (lowland), within the southern taiga subzone, and is part of the landscape region of the Neva lowland of the Northwestern region of the Russian plain.
The boundaries of the "Yuntolovsky" reserve
The boundaries of the Yuntolovsky reserve, which have remained unchanged since its inception, include the Lakhtinsky spill, sections of the Chernaya, Kamenka, Yuntolovka, Glukharka rivers, as well as most of the Lakhtinsky swamp. Contrary to popular belief, there is no and never was a buffer zone around the reserve. On the northern and eastern sides of the reserve there are green spaces of common use - Yuntolovsky forest park and a park without a name.
The history of the formation of a specially protected natural area on the northern shore of the Neva Bay goes back to the first decades of the 20th century. In 1919, the largest naturalists of Petrograd came up with an initiative to create a "reserve of local nature" along the entire coast of the Neva Bay from Staraya Derevnya to Lisiy Nos. Scientists called the landscapes of the Lakhtinskaya lowland "beautiful and instructive pictures of the original vegetation of the local area", justifying the importance of the "immediate establishment" of the reserve. The value of the coastal areas was especially emphasized, serving as places of mass encampments of "various waterfowl and ankle birds during their spring and autumn currents." The plans were not given to come true - apparently, the project did not receive the support of the authorities. However, in the same 1919, on the banks of the Neva Bay, in the Stenbock-Fermor mansion, who owned the surrounding lands before the revolution, the Lakhtinskaya excursion station began to work. It was headed by the renowned polar explorer Professor P.V. Wittenburg. In the very first year of its work, the Museum of Nature of the northern coast of the Neva Bay was organized at the institution. The station, which operated until 1932, was a true center for research on the nature of the local area, many of which have not lost their scientific value to this day.
The plans to give the status of a protected area were implemented only in 1990.
Vegetation
Most of the reserve is occupied by sphagnum pine and birch forests, as well as transitional and lowland bogs. Less common are communities with black alder and other small-leaved species, shrub thickets. In total, about 380 species of higher vascular plants from 83 families have been identified on the territory. The marsh bush, which is included in the Red Book of Russia, deserves special mention. Here, on the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, is the eastern limit of its distribution, in connection with which the issue of preserving the population of the species in the reserve is especially acute.
Fauna of birds
The avifauna of the Yuntolovsky reserve, despite the proximity of the city quarters, is extremely rich, diverse and even unique. More than 100 bird species nest here. About 50 more are found during migration, wintering and in summer. With varying degrees of regularity, chicks of 25 bird species included in the Red Book of St. etc.).
Birds of prey at the top of ecological pyramids are considered good indicators of environmental change. Their presence, and even more so a great species diversity, is an indicator of the normal functioning of ecological systems. In the Yuntolovsky Reserve, on a relatively small territory, 7 species of birds of prey were recorded at once for nesting: osprey, wasp eater, buzzard, goshawk, sparrowhawk, marsh harrier and hobbyist, 4 of which (osprey, wasp eater, goshawk and hobbyist) are included in the Red Book of St. Petersburg ...
Osprey breeds in the reserve. Until recently, this species was extremely rare throughout the North-West of Russia. Now its numbers are growing, but it is still considered rare. The osprey is included in the Red Data Books of St. Petersburg, the Leningrad Region and the Russian Federation. It is also protected in neighboring states - in Finland, Estonia and other countries of the Baltic region.
Previously, the Lakhtinsky Razliv played an important role in maintaining the bird fauna of the region, since, along with the shallow waters of the Gulf of Finland, it was a place for migratory camps and nesting sites for waterfowl and near-water birds. Unfortunately, as a result of large-scale logging in the adjacent territories, many bird families have disappeared in the reserve and adjacent territories
Fauna of mammals
Among the relatively large mammals in the reserve there are fox, muskrat, white hare and even roe deer. On the rivers, you can easily find huts, burrows, felled trees and other traces of the vital activity of the river beaver, which is rare in the city (it is also called European or common).
The history of the development of the Lakhtinskaya lowland
The surroundings of the Lakhtinsky Razliv were mastered by man since the time of Swedish rule: the lands along the banks of the Yuntolovka and Kamenka rivers were used as agricultural land. The drainage of the swamps, which began in the 19th century, as well as the construction of the railway, contributed to the settlement of the surrounding territories.
In the XX century, the nature of the Lakhtinskaya lowland has undergone unprecedented changes. In 1916, peat mining began on the Lakhtinsky peat bog, which is still reminiscent of the long watered quarries (checks) in the western part of the reserve. During the Great Patriotic War, Lakhta peat served as fuel for the besieged Leningrad. In 1962, soil was dredged from the bottom of the Lakhtinsky Razliv in order to reclaim new urban areas, which led to the deepening of the reservoir from 1 to 15-18 meters at the extraction sites (average depth 4.3 meters, in the central part - 8.3 m) and the destruction of part of the swamp. Peat mining and mining in Lakhta continued until the formation of the reserve in 1990.
Due to the construction of roads and the alluvial territory, the “mouth” of the Lakhtinsky flood has narrowed from 500 to 10 meters, the area of shallow waters with thickets of reeds has been greatly reduced, as a result of which the number of birds stopping on migration has sharply decreased.
See more about this journey
The state nature reserve of regional significance "Yuntolovsky" is located in the western part of the Primorsky district of St. Petersburg in the north-eastern part of the Lakhta-Olgino district. The territory is located in the western part of the Lakhtinskaya depression (lowland), within the southern taiga subzone, and is part of the landscape region of the Neva lowland of the Northwestern region of the Russian plain.
The boundaries of the "Yuntolovsky" reserve
The boundaries of the Yuntolovsky reserve, which have remained unchanged since its inception, include the Lakhtinsky spill, sections of the Chernaya, Kamenka, Yuntolovka, Glukharka rivers, as well as most of the Lakhtinsky swamp. Contrary to popular belief, there is no and never was a buffer zone around the reserve. On the northern and eastern sides of the reserve there are green spaces of common use - Yuntolovsky forest park and a park without a name.
The history of the formation of a specially protected natural area on the northern shore of the Neva Bay goes back to the first decades of the 20th century. In 1919, the largest naturalists of Petrograd came up with an initiative to create a "reserve of local nature" along the entire coast of the Neva Bay from Staraya Derevnya to Lisiy Nos. Scientists called the landscapes of the Lakhtinskaya lowland "beautiful and instructive pictures of the original vegetation of the local area", justifying the importance of the "immediate establishment" of the reserve. The value of the coastal areas was especially emphasized, serving as places of mass encampments of "various waterfowl and ankle birds during their spring and autumn currents." The plans were not given to come true - apparently, the project did not receive the support of the authorities. However, in the same 1919, on the banks of the Neva Bay, in the Stenbock-Fermor mansion, who owned the surrounding lands before the revolution, the Lakhtinskaya excursion station began to work. It was headed by the renowned polar explorer Professor P.V. Wittenburg. In the very first year of its work, the Museum of Nature of the northern coast of the Neva Bay was organized at the institution. The station, which operated until 1932, was a true center for research on the nature of the local area, many of which have not lost their scientific value to this day.
The plans to give the status of a protected area were implemented only in 1990.
Vegetation
Most of the reserve is occupied by sphagnum pine and birch forests, as well as transitional and lowland bogs. Less common are communities with black alder and other small-leaved species, shrub thickets. In total, about 380 species of higher vascular plants from 83 families have been identified on the territory. The marsh bush, which is included in the Red Book of Russia, deserves special mention. Here, on the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, is the eastern limit of its distribution, in connection with which the issue of preserving the population of the species in the reserve is especially acute.
Fauna of birds
The avifauna of the Yuntolovsky reserve, despite the proximity of the city quarters, is extremely rich, diverse and even unique. More than 100 bird species nest here. About 50 more are found during migration, wintering and in summer. With varying degrees of regularity, chicks of 25 bird species included in the Red Book of St. etc.).
Birds of prey at the top of ecological pyramids are considered good indicators of environmental change. Their presence, and even more so a great species diversity, is an indicator of the normal functioning of ecological systems. In the Yuntolovsky Reserve, on a relatively small territory, 7 species of birds of prey were recorded at once for nesting: osprey, wasp eater, buzzard, goshawk, sparrowhawk, marsh harrier and hobbyist, 4 of which (osprey, wasp eater, goshawk and hobbyist) are included in the Red Book of St. Petersburg ...
Osprey breeds in the reserve. Until recently, this species was extremely rare throughout the North-West of Russia. Now its numbers are growing, but it is still considered rare. The osprey is included in the Red Data Books of St. Petersburg, the Leningrad Region and the Russian Federation. It is also protected in neighboring states - in Finland, Estonia and other countries of the Baltic region.
Previously, the Lakhtinsky Razliv played an important role in maintaining the bird fauna of the region, since, along with the shallow waters of the Gulf of Finland, it was a place for migratory camps and nesting sites for waterfowl and near-water birds. Unfortunately, as a result of large-scale logging in the adjacent territories, many bird families have disappeared in the reserve and adjacent territories
Fauna of mammals
Among the relatively large mammals in the reserve there are fox, muskrat, white hare and even roe deer. On the rivers, you can easily find huts, burrows, felled trees and other traces of the vital activity of the river beaver, which is rare in the city (it is also called European or common).
The history of the development of the Lakhtinskaya lowland
The surroundings of the Lakhtinsky Razliv were mastered by man since the time of Swedish rule: the lands along the banks of the Yuntolovka and Kamenka rivers were used as agricultural land. The drainage of the swamps, which began in the 19th century, as well as the construction of the railway, contributed to the settlement of the surrounding territories.
In the XX century, the nature of the Lakhtinskaya lowland has undergone unprecedented changes. In 1916, peat mining began on the Lakhtinsky peat bog, which is still reminiscent of the long watered quarries (checks) in the western part of the reserve. During the Great Patriotic War, Lakhta peat served as fuel for the besieged Leningrad. In 1962, soil was dredged from the bottom of the Lakhtinsky Razliv in order to reclaim new urban areas, which led to the deepening of the reservoir from 1 to 15-18 meters at the extraction sites (average depth 4.3 meters, in the central part - 8.3 m) and the destruction of part of the swamp. Peat mining and mining in Lakhta continued until the formation of the reserve in 1990.
Due to the construction of roads and the alluvial territory, the “mouth” of the Lakhtinsky flood has narrowed from 500 to 10 meters, the area of shallow waters with thickets of reeds has been greatly reduced, as a result of which the number of birds stopping on migration has sharply decreased.