| Zavidovo National Park | |
|---|---|
| (Russian: Завидово) | |
 Lama River | |
  Location of Park | |
| Location | Tver Oblast,Moscow Oblast (Russia |
| Nearest city | Moscow |
| Coordinates | 56°25′N36°07′E / 56.417°N 36.117°E /56.417; 36.117 |
| Area | 132,858hectares (328,299acres; 1,329 km2; 513 sq mi) |
| Established | February 8, 2015 (2015-02-08) |
Zavidovo National Park (Russian:Национальный парк «Завидово») is a complex of forests and wetlands located inTver Oblast andMoscow Oblast,Russia. The area is abundant in game animals and has been a notable hunting reserve for government officials. Since 1994, the area has come under stricter environmental protections, with national park status conferred in 2019. But the area is still heavily used for recreation and there are many private settlements and vacation plots interspersed among protected zones. One activity of the complex is to conduct research into methods for productive hunting.[1][2] The park is located 50 km south of the city ofTver, and 100 km northwest ofMoscow.[1]
The park is located on theEast European Plain in the Upper Volga Lowlands. TheVolga River itself passes within 10 km of the park's northeast corner. The park's boundaries encompass a patchwork of special zones: protected natural areas, agricultural sectors, recreational and hunting areas, and villages and hamlets.[1] The landscape is one of flatmoraine terrain of mixed forests, swamps, peat bogs, lakes and small rivers.[1] Two main rivers through the park, theShosha River and theLama River, have created wide floodplains. The minimum elevation of 119 meters and the maximum is 183 meters. The distance from the southeast to northeast ends of the park is 60 km.[3]
The park is in theSarmatic mixed forests ecoregion. The climate isHumid continental climate, warm summer (Köppen climate classification(Dfb)). This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differentials and a warm summer (at least four months averaging over 10 °C (50 °F), but no month averaging over 22 °C (72 °F).[4][5] Average rainfall is 577 mm/year. The growing season is 140–150 days (May–September).[1]
| Tver, Russia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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While 80% of the ground is tree-covered, the forested are fragmented by meadows, wetlands, and settlements. Of the remaining land, 12% is used for agricultural cropland, 4% is water bodies or wetlands, 2% is grassland, and 2% is built up with human settlement. The dominant forest character is young to middle-agedbirch trees, with stands of oldspruce,pine andaspen.[3]
The park supports large populations of game animals and birds: elk, wild boar, hare, wolf, fox, roe deer, moose, black grouse, hazel grouse, and gray partridge.[1] There are an additional 36 species of mammals, 196 species of birds, and 33 species of fish recorded in the park.
Vladimir Lenin used the area for hunting in the 1920s, and a military hunting reservation operated on the grounds for much of the 20th century. The transition to a national park has increased the protections for wild species.
Because the park is easily accessible from Moscow by highway and train, it sees heavy recreational load. The permanent population within the park's settlements is 16,700; this doubles in the summer. Local authorities have allocated gardening plots and smalldachas to over 14,000 people.[1] Access to the park by non-residents requires a permit, and some areas are closed to the public.[6][7]
