Belarus: nature and its protected areas

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

The Republic of Belarus, whose nature is very picturesque, is a state in Eastern Europe and borders Poland on the western side. Ukraine is located on its southern side, Latvia and Lithuania from the northwest, and Russia from the northeast and east. The territory of the republic is quite compact and is about 207 thousand square meters. km. The nature of Belarus is famous for its mesmerizing plains, hills, forests and lakes.

Modern Belarus and its nature

The territory of the country is almost entirely riddled with dense hydrographic grids of rivers, lakes and streams. The flat rivers, flowing in gentle, spacious valleys, are distinguished by their sinuosity and swampy watersheds, as they flow through swamps from the south of the country. A tenth of the area of the republic consists of river valleys, and to the south of the line of passage of the glacier there are many wide shallow valleys of uneven shape. Therefore, the nature of the Republic of Belarus is famous for a large number of fresh lakes of varioussize and depth - there are more than 10 thousand of them. Most often, reservoirs are formed into lake groups. The most famous of them are Ushachskaya, Braslavskaya and Narochanskaya.

The country is also famous for its forests, which occupy 40% of the entire territory. In the north of the Republic of Belarus, nature abounds with alder and spruce, in the south - with oak and pine, while in its central part there are a lot of birch bark, hornbeam and oaks. Among them you can find berries and edible mushrooms. There are especially many blueberries and cranberries in the country's forests. Also here grow viburnum, blueberries, raspberries, lingonberries and mountain ash. The main asset is the forest fund of Belarus. It consists of over 9.4 hectares of plantations and is growing every year, so the country is known as a forest country.

As mentioned above, 10% of the area is occupied by unevenly distributed swamps and lowlands, overgrown with sedge and cereals, which are a unique ecosystem. Natural swamps of the largest sizes in Europe are located precisely on the territory of Western Polissya. Transitional swamps with mosses, wild rosemary and myrtle bushes, as well as with coniferous forests can be found in the Central part of Belarus. In the north, there are raised bogs with thickets of white grass, cotton grass and sundew. All these areas act as a reservoir, feeding the rivers and softening the temperature changes in the middle of winter and summer. Wildlife of Belarus with its swamps has become an excellent habitat for many ungulates, valuable rodents and game.

Animal resources of natureBelarus

The nature of Belarus with its mixed forests, meadow vegetation and swamps is a favorable habitat for deer, wild boars, elks, as well as the famous bison. There are also such predators as martens, foxes, badgers, wolves, brown bears, otters and minks. Belarus, whose nature attracts many endangered species, has about 309 bird names. Spoonbills, great cormorants, gray geese, mute swans and yellow herons have returned to nesting territory.

National parks and protected areas of the Republic of Belarus

The territory of the Republic of Belarus is one of the greenest countries in Europe and is famous for its unique reserves and nature reserves. Belovezhskaya Pushcha is a colossal array of primeval forests. It stretches from Belarus to Poland through the watershed of Pripyat, Neman and Western Bug. Its total area of 150 hectares is home to about 55 species of large mammals and over 200 bird species. But the main inhabitants of Belovezhskaya Pushcha are European bison (bison), which were previously at the stage of extinction.

Also, the Berezansky Reserve is a unique protected area. It is a system of ancient pine forests, raised bogs and moraine hills. In addition to a large number of mammals and birds, there are 700 plant species.

In the southwestern part of the Gomel region, on the right side of the Pripyat River, there is a national park "Pripyatsky". It became famous not only for its inhabitantsin primeval floodplain oak forests, but also in ichthyofauna. The national parks "Braslav Lakes" and "Narochansky" also deserve attention.

Hunting and fishing in Belarus

Since the wildlife of Belarus is unique, the country occupies a special place in hunting Europe. The surroundings of primeval swamps and forests are favorable for many animals, which causes excitement in catching game. On the Belarusian land, hunting traditions have developed over the centuries, because the diversity of the animal world attracted the attention of even Russian tsars, Polish kings and Kyiv princes. At the present time, Belarus, whose nature is unique in its beauty, is open for hunting all year round. Since a significant number of valuable fish (carp, eel, bream, pike perch, smelt, asp, perch, burbot, rudd, etc.) live in the lakes and rivers of the republic, the popularity of fishing is growing here every day. Fishing enthusiasts and professionals will discover big rivers such as the Neman, Berezina, Dnieper, Viliya, Sozh, Western Dvina, Western Bug, Pripyat and Goryn.

Environmental protection in Belarus

The landscapes of the republic are unique in the diversity of flora and fauna, and are also a habitat for many rare, endangered species, so most of the land has been given the status of protected. The entire territory is included in the zone, which is of ecological value for Central and Eastern Europe. That is why nature protection in Belarus extends to 4 national parks, a biosphere reserve and 84 reserves of republican significance. CostsIt should be noted that there are 861 natural monuments of local and republican significance on the territory, which play a special role in the conservation of biological diversity resources.