The State Nature Reserve "Bastak" is located in the southern part of the Far East region of Russia. A large number of rare species of plants and animals live on its territory, many of which are listed in the Red Book.
A bit of history
The state natural reserve "Bastak" began to work in the Soviet years, namely in 1981. Then, on the territory of the modern Jewish Autonomous Region, which was part of the Khabarovsk Territory, the Bastak Botanical Reserve was organized.
Activities to organize the reserve itself began in 1993. Despite the fact that a lot of work has been done, it was still quite a long time before the independent functioning of the facility. As an independent environmental organization with its own staff, "Bastak" began to work only in 1998. It is worth noting that in 2006 the idea of creating a cluster site on the territory of the Smidovichi district was initiated.
Landscape
The reserve "Bastak", photos of the different inhabitants of which you can find in thisarticle, is a territory consisting of three main landscape zones:
- boreal;
- Far Eastern subtaiga;
- Subboreal.
A relatively small area is also distinguished, where the mountain tundra landscape is represented by pockets.
Flora
Most of the reserve "Bastak" is covered with broad-leaved and coniferous forests, and in some places - mixed. Trees such as fir, spruce, cedar, as well as larch, aspen and birch are common. The flora of the reserve is quite rich, so it would be difficult to list all the species represented in it. Of the rare, unusual shrubs and trees, the following species can be distinguished: Manchurian ash and walnut, Amur velvet, Mongolian oak and others. About thirty species of plants are listed in the Red Book.
Fauna
No less interesting is the animal world presented in the reserve. Among its inhabitants there are a huge number of animals that are on the verge of extinction, as well as many endemics that are not found anywhere else in Russia.
The reserve is home to a large number of different species of birds. Many of them are found in other territories of the Russian Federation, but some species are rare. The total species diversity of birds includes more than one hundred and fifty representatives. There are hazel grouses, woodpeckers, nightingales, tits, cranes, pheasants, etc. Of the predators - ospreys,hawks, as well as representatives of the owl family.
Besides birds, the Bastak reserve is inhabited by many species of mammals, among which are: raccoon dogs, otters, hares, roe deer and elk. Also, the rarest Ussuri tigers live here, of which there are no more than a few thousand individuals left all over the world (in the wild). Preserving this species is one of the priorities of the reserve.
Amphibians and reptiles also live on the territory of the complex, which include the Far Eastern toad, viviparous lizard and many others. In total, more than 30 species of animals listed in the Red Book of the Jewish Autonomous Region live in the reserve in natural conditions, and 4 of them are included in the Red Book of Russia.
Interesting facts
Many people who have ever seen the image of the official logo of the reserve, wondered what kind of bird is depicted on the emblem of the reserve "Bastak". We give a complete answer to this question.
The emblem of the reserve has a round shape. Inside it is a logo framed by an inscription with the name of the organization. It flaunts the silhouette of a flying bird, namely a crane. This representative of birds was not chosen by chance, because on the territory of "Bastak" there are several very valuable species of this family (worm, Japanese, etc.).
Many are also interested in which Chinese reserve the Bastak reserve cooperates with. To date, the organization most closely interacts with Honghe -National Protected Area of China, located in the province of Heilongjiang. The key interest for cooperation is the preservation of the Amur River, important for both Russia and China.
Employees of the two institutions are engaged in joint research activities, hold conferences, seminars, write monographs in English. This partnership takes place on mutually beneficial terms, since the employees of both organizations understand that it is much easier to carry out work to preserve the Far Eastern nature together. After all, this is precisely the fundamental task for both Bastak and its Chinese partner.
Conclusion
In Russia, a huge number of animals and plants that are on the verge of extinction. Many species are of great value not only for the ecology and nature of our country, but for the whole world as a whole.
The Bastak nature reserve is home to a large number of rare and valuable species, which are protected around the clock by the efforts of the authorities and employees of the organization. However, despite all the efforts invested by the joint work of scientists, many species are still small in number, and, accordingly, their continued existence is under threat.
The reserve "Bastak" is a unique protected area of special value. In the Far East, it is considered one of the largest and most important objects where work is carried out to preserve important ecosystems and species of flora andfauna.
Due to its uniqueness, it attracts the interest of tourists, both from Russia and abroad. Among foreign guests, the reserve is most often visited by citizens of neighboring China. In addition to tourists from China, Bastak has several partner organizations from this country and a number of investors. True, the amount of subsidies is not too large yet.
