Thewildlife of Russia inhabits terrain that extends across 12 time zones and from the tundra region in the far north to theCaucasus Mountains and prairies in the south, including temperate forests which cover 70% of the country.Russia's forests comprise 22% of the forest in the world[1] as well as 33% of all temperate forest.[2]
According to the data furnished in theRed Data Book of the Russian Federation, as of 1996, there were 266 mammal species and 780 bird species under protection.[3] Some of the threatened plant species are theSiberian cedar pine, Koreancedar pine in the far eastern part of the country, wildchestnut in the Caucasus.[1] In theRussian Far East, brown bears, Eurasian lynx, and red deer, Amur tigers, Amur leopards, and Asiatic black bears are reported. There are also about 350 bird species and 30 percent of Russia's endangered species are found.[4] Carnivores under threat include theSiberian tiger, numbered at 400, and theAmur leopard of which only 30 remained as of 2003.[1]
Geographically, the tundra habitat lies in a zone extending from the northern coast 60 to 420 kilometres (37 to 260 mi) to the south; this gradually transforms into the extensive and dense forests of thetaiga that include a large part ofSiberia and then into the gently slopingsteppe land with trees only on the river banks. Three distinctive zones are theCaucasus insouthern Russia, the active volcanic region ofKamchatka in the far northeast; andUssuriland in the extreme southeast; in the latter, the indigenous animals and vegetation are akin toSouth East Asia rather than Siberia.[5]
The tundra region is entirely within theArctic Circle and is the most inhospitable terrain withpermafrost extending to a depth of 1,450 metres (4,760 ft).[5] Taiga is the largest forest in the world covering 5,000,000 square kilometres (1,900,000 sq mi) and accounting for 25% of world's wood reserves. Winter season is the harshest with biting cold conditions. When snow melts here it becomes a "spongy wetland with lakes, pools and puddles".[6] The steppe land lies fromVoronezh andSenatov toKuban area to north of the Caucasus. It extends into south western Siberia. The topography is flat and undulating with dominance ofblack soil (chernozem). The region is drained by theVolga River forming a delta before itdebouches into theCaspian Sea.[6] The steppe "gives way to alpine regions in the Caucasus with 6,000 highly varied plant species".[7]Kamchatka region has the phenomenon of geothermal bubbling which has resulted in severalvolcanoes of which 30 are active.[8] Ussuriland has remarkable monsoon forests. The prominent land form here is theSikhote-Alin range that extends for more than 1,000 kilometres (620 mi), running parallel to the coast.[9]
Russian wildlife has been categorized byWorld Wide Fund for Nature into 13bioregions which, as of 2012, have 101zapovedniks (strictly protected areas) covering more than 33.5 million hectares (82.7 million acres) and38 national parks (protected areas with implemented zoning).Zapovedniks (pronounced:Zap-o-VED-nik) are strictly protected scientific nature reserves under IUCN category I. TheZapovednik, Barguzinsky, was the firstzapovednik that was established in 1916 covering the eastern shore areas ofLake Baikal. Thezapovedniks cover the tundra region of the far north, the steppe (prairies) of the south, the Black Sea and the Bering Sea, encompassing a tremendous diversity of territory and play a critical role in nature conservation.[10][11] The regions and the number of reserves in each of then are: eight in theArctic region of Russia, twenty in theKola-Karelian & Eastern European Forest, thirteen in theEastern European Forest-Steppe,Steppe & Caspian Semi-Desert, nine inUral Mountains, six in theCaucasus (alsoPrielbrusye National Park andSochinsky National Park, four in theWestern Siberian Forest, four inCentral Siberia, eight inAltai-Sayansky, four inBaikal (andZabaykalsky National Park), four inZabaikal, fifteen inAmur-Sakhalin and five inKamchatka-Okhotsk Sea.[10] UNESCO listed World Heritage Sites in these regions are:Virgin Komi Forests of the Urals, theLake Baikal, theVolcanoes of Kamchatka, theAltai Mountains, theWestern Caucasus, theCuronian Spit (theKurshskaya Kosa National Park), theCentral Sikhote-Alin,Uvs Lake Basin on the border with Mongolia, and theWrangel Island Reserve in the Chukchi Sea in the Russian Far East.[8]
The Forest Legislation 1993 of the Russian Federation is the basic legal framework for forest management. The principle under this legislation underlines the federal status of forests in enforcing compliance by all forest users and governs the use of the forest stock, states the rules of forestry, reproduction, conservation and protection of forests and other norms and rules. The management of the Forest Fund is the responsibility of the Federal Forest Service, further delegated to the forest management districts.[12]
The Game Department's rules are based on the Law on Protection and Use of Wildlife 1982, which defines game species on all lands, except the designated protected areas such as thezaponvedniks. The 250 animal species and 500 plant species listed in Russia's Red Book (as of 1984) are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (MEPNR), which is being updated. Non-game species are not included under legal protection.[13]
A new draft of the forest code, which is a part of Russian law, governs the sale of the forest to private companies. Leasing of forests to private shows/firms regulated by the central government is given for a period up to 49 years.[1]
The ice fields of tundra are covered on the top by lichens, mosses, grasses and flowers, which for nine months are buried under snow. There are only a few trees and bushes here which are in a twisted dwarfed condition as their roots can not penetrate the permafrost.[5] The taiga forest is densely populated with spruces, firs, pines and larch. On the forest floors grass, moss, lichen, berries and mushrooms are reported.[6] The steppe consists of croplands and grass lands. In theVolga Delta,Caspian lotus flowers in pink and white spread across the water during the summer.[6] The Caucasus region has 6,000 plant species of various types including wild flowers.[7] In Ussuriland, there exists a lush monsoon forest quite different from the taiga forest, and in this, the trees and undergrowth are draped withlianas and vines.[8]
.jpg)
Due to extreme weather conditions, wildlife in the tundra is limited.Reindeer, which can endure temperatures down to −50 °C (−58 °F), thrive here in great numbers; their count is said to be four million.[5]Lemmings are among the rodents present. Other species present includeArctic fox,seals,walruses (near Chukotka),polar bears andwhales.[5] In the taiga forests, species include squirrels, chipmunks, voles and lemmings. The carnivores are polecats,brown bear,lynx,wolves, foxes,wolverines and thesable.Elk, a large deer about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in height up to the shoulder, are common in this habitat.[6] Steppe animals include wild boar as well as 30 other mammal species. A small antelope species known asaiga antelope is also present but is under threat due to hunting.[6] Animals species in the Caucasus region aretur (two species of mountain goat),bezoar (wild goat) endangeredmouflon (mountain sheep),chamois (goat-antelope),Persian leopard,brown bear andbison. Avifauna species arebearded vulture (lammergeier), endangeredgriffon vulture,imperial eagle,peregrine falcon,goshawk, andsnow cock.[7] Spawning salmon are abundant in the rivers of peninsular Kamchatka on account of enrichment of the region by volcanic ash. Other animal species in this region areKamchatkan brown bears,sea otters, andsea eagles (predators ofsalmon with 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) wingspan). Avifauna species number 200, includingauks,tufted puffins andswans.[8] TheSiberian tiger is the most prominent species inPrimorsky Krai; as of 2015 there were 480 to 540 remaining.[14][15] TheAmur leopard is also present; only 30 of these exist, and poaching threatens them.[9] Other species include wolves, sables, andAsian black bears.Zov Tigra National Park has been established in this region to aid in conserving these species.
