The amazing nature of the Voronezh region, with the rivers Don, Usmanka, Voronezh, attracts a large number of animals. The temperate climate, with rainy and cool summers and relatively mild winters, makes it favorable for a huge number of animals to live in this area. In the Voronezh region, the forest-steppe and the steppe zone are mixed.
Animal world of the Voronezh region
The fauna of the Voronezh region is rich and varied. Not only large animals live here, such as moose, roe deer, red deer and wolves. But also various animals of the forest-steppe, such as weasels, shrews and bats. Nowhere else in the world is there such a unique animal as the muskrat, which has chosen the Voronezh region as a home since ancient times.
Buddocks, bustards and marmots live in open steppe areas. The bobak groundhog, listed in the Red Book, was almost completely exterminated in the 30s of the XX century, but laterits population has been restored. Now a large number of marmots live in the south of the region, their numbers have been completely restored.
Diversity of birds in the open spaces of the region is represented by gulls, storks, swamp-meadow game and common sparrows, swifts and pigeons. Rare bird species have also chosen these lands. Golden eagles, white-tailed eagles and black swans live in the reserves.
Beavers, otters, water shrews and muskrats settled along the river banks. And in the rivers - marsh turtles and frogs coexist with the most diverse fish. Bream, pike perch, catfish and carp are found together with sterlet and burbot, listed in the Red Book.
In cities and smaller towns, some animals of the Voronezh region, listed in the Red Book, also found shelter. Bats, martens, weasels, ringed turtledoves, owls, black swans and white storks. Numerous feathered species such as sparrows, ravens, doves and starlings have become permanent residents.
The fauna of the Voronezh region has up to 70 species of mammals, 10 species of amphibians and 9 species of reptiles, 290 species of birds and over ten thousand insects, 50 species of fish. Some species of animals need protection and are listed in the Red Book.
A dangerous relationship
The laws of nature must not be violated, because irreparable things can happen. Our land requires a reverent and respectful attitude to nature on the part of man.
But unfortunately, man makes many mistakes. Endangered animals of Voronezhregions are a prime example of this. In many ways, the decline in populations is due to environmental problems that occur not only locally, but are global in nature. Urbanization and the construction of factories and industries that pollute the environment are leading to the disappearance of wild animals in the Voronezh region.
Violation of the environment in the Voronezh region
The problem with the environment has become urgent for the territory of the Voronezh region, and not only because of the proximity to the ecologically polluted central regions of Russia. But also due to the fact that in large industrial cities such as Voronezh, Liski, Rossosh and others, there is a huge problem with insufficiently treated wastewater. More than 90,000 tons of pollutants and by-products are discharged into wastewater every year.
Increasing rates of urbanization lead to air pollution. Exhaust gases from automobiles pollute the air to a greater extent (more than 90% of pollution is accounted for by automobile exhausts). And the construction of cities and their expansion leads to a reduction in the habitat of animals.
Territories of landfills (including illegal ones) occupy more than 230 hectares. This factor also negatively affects the fauna of the Voronezh region.
Voronezh Nature Reserve
For the protection of the environment and the preservation of flora and fauna, nature reserves and reserves have been organized in the region. Unique places are taken under protection, and the animals of the Voronezh region,listed in the Red Book are taken under special control.
To protect the beaver and preserve its numbers in 1923, the State Voronezh Reserve was organized. Today it is complex, its area has increased to 31,000 hectares. There are more than 57 species of mammals on its territory. Two animals are listed in the Red Book of Russia. These are the Russian muskrat (which, by the way, has been living in this territory for more than 30 million years) and a giant nocturnal.
The reserve restores the number of hedgehogs after the deadly frosts.
They are also engaged in the restoration of the population of the brown hare and hare. With the initial task - the care of the inhabitants of the reservoirs of beavers - the reserve has long coped. The river beaver has been bred and settled in many parts of the country.
Reserved places of the Voronezh region
In the valley of the Usman River there is the Usmansky Forest, which is attractive in the world of animals because there are no people on its territory. Largely due to this, the animals of the Voronezh region, listed in the Red Book, avoided complete extinction.
A unique animal - the Russian muskrat - also lives in the Khopersky Reserve, in the valley of the Khoper River. Its area is two times smaller than the Voronezh Reserve. On its territory, in addition to preserving the desman, they also breed spotted deer and bison brought from different parts of our country.
Nine reserves have been organized in the Voronezh region. Hunting is allowed on their territory. Many monuments of nature, as well as natural complexes, were created byhuman.
Along with animals, a whole group of plants is also reverently guarded by the authorities. Measures are regularly taken to protect nature, improve the culture of staying in the forests. There is propaganda against water and air pollution. Numerous conservation measures are being taken to prevent the extinction of rare species in the animal world.
The appearance of the Red Book
Over the past two decades, mankind, for various reasons, has destroyed more than 200 species of animals. And in the middle of the 20th century, scientists seriously thought about the conservation of animals and plants on earth.
The very emergence of the Red Book dates back to the formation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1948. Zoologists, botanists and ecologists around the world compiled, later published, lists of animals and plants that are on the verge of extinction. Since it was a danger warning, both the color and the name were chosen appropriately. This is how the first Red Book appeared.
An increase strategy has been developed for each species.
All pages of the Red Book are multicolored. Each color indicates what stage a species is in:
- Animals or plants are marked in red, the danger of extinction of which is especially great in the near future.
- The Yellow Pages feature animals that are steadily declining in number and will need human intervention in the very near future.
- White pages speak of the rarest species in the world.
- Green Pagesoccupied by animals and plants whose population is already safe, they have already been saved.
- Gray was reserved for little-studied and unknown species.
The Red Book in the Voronezh Region
In the Soviet Union, the first Red Book was published 30 years after the creation of the International Red Book. And in Russia it went to press in 2001.
The Red Book of the Voronezh Region, created in 2008, lists rare and endangered species of plants and animals. Some species are so unique that they live only on the territory of local reserves. The book depicts the animals themselves from the Red Book of the Voronezh Region, a description of their behavior and habitats are also presented. Only plants, lichens and fungi are listed in the first volume. In the second - animals (total 384 species). Some animals of the Voronezh region, listed in the Red Book, are also in the Red Book of Russia.
List of endangered and extinct animals of the Voronezh region
Probably missing (marked 0) are:
- 8 fish species (Azov beluga, Russian and Black Sea-Azov sturgeons, stellate sturgeon, Black Sea-Azov herring, Russian bystrynka, stellate pugolovka and Black Sea trout);
- 5 species of birds (Steppe Tirkushka, Curlew, Steppe Kestrel, Kosach and Aquatic Warbler).
There are more endangered animals, they are assigned category 1:
- 2 fish species (common minnow, commonsculpin);
- 15 species of birds (Crowberry, Black Stork, Osprey, Field and Steppe Harrier, Long-legged Buzzard, Steppe Eagle, Lesser and Greater Spotted Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Saker Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Little Bustard, Steppe Lark, Eagle Owl)
- 2 species of reptiles (pattern snake, steppe viper).
Endangered species with declining population are designated as category 2:
- 3 types of fish (sterlet, Shemaya Azov-Black Sea, bersh);
- 8 species of birds (Piskulka, Oystercatcher, Great Snipe, Roller Roller, Short-toed Eagle, Falcon, Little Owl, Klintukh);
- 2 species of mammals (ligature, Russian muskrat).
Rare animals are designated in the Red Book as category 3:
- 3 types of fish (carp, white-finned gudgeon, common fish);
- 2 amphibian species (grey toad, common frog);
- 26 species of birds (grey goose, whooper swan, little gull, barnacle tern, little tern, stilt, herbalist, handbill, black-tailed godwit, white stork, common honey buzzard, European tuvik, pygmy eagle, golden eagle, sea eagle - white-tailed, common kestrel, gray crane, bustard, pipit, millet, black-fronted and gray shrike, bald wheatear, yellow, lesser and gray-cheeked grebe);
- 7 species of mammals (river otter, mink, steppe polecat, giant evening caterpillar, small water shrew, common mole, common squirrel);
- 5 species of reptiles (Brasswort, Copperhead, Viviparous Lizard, Nikolsky's Viper, Bog Turtle).
Not only the Book
To preserve the animal and plant world, its harmonious development,only one Red Book is not enough. The efforts of all people, the entire population of the planet are needed to mitigate the environmental situation.
And in order to reduce environmental pollution, not only in the Voronezh region, but throughout the world, it is necessary to resolve the increasingly acute issue of waste disposal.
Conclusion
We need to protect nature - take care of plants and animals. Love the world around us and explore it. And then the rare animals of the Voronezh region will not disappear from the face of the earth.
