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Facts:
Astrakhan Zapovednik
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Animals
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With more than 250 avian species recorded in the reserve, Astrakhansky
Zapovednik has earned its reputation as a sanctuary for birds.
Year-round the skies and shoreline forests are filled with white-tailed
sea-?eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), one of 27 endangered
species of birds found in the zapovednik. Other endangered birds
of prey include osprey (Pandion haliaetus) and Saker falcon
(Falco cherrug). Mute swans (Cygnus olor), once
nearly extinct in the region, have made a remarkable comeback
in the 20th century, such that now thousands nest in
the Volga delta, and hundreds in the zapovednik. Dalmatian pelicans
(Pelicanus crispus), recognizable by the curl-like tufts
of feathers on their heads, can regularly be seen skimming the
surface of the water.
The Volga delta offers one of the world’s most important
nesting grounds for water birds. Great cormorants (Phalacrocorah
carbo) build large, noisy colonies in willow trees along the
riverbanks. Colonies of gulls (Chlidonias hybrida, C. niger,
C. hirundo) attract carnivorous fish such as Wels catfish
(Silurus glanis), which swim to the banks in hopes of making
a meal of baby birds that have fallen from their nests. Sharing
of nesting sites, an unusual phenomenon in nature, is characteristic
in the zapovednik, where great white herons and little egrets
(Egretta alba, E. garzetta), glossy ibises (Plegadis
falcinellus), black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax),
Eurasian spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia), and pond herons
(Ardeola ralloides) frequently build nests in the same
colonies.
Summer is a particularly colorful season in the zapovednik, where
more than 25,000 ducks spend their molting period. Mallards (Anas
platyrhynchos) are the first to arrive in June, followed by
northern pintails (A. acuta), green-winged teals (A.
crecca), garganeys (A. querquedula), and gadwalls (A.
strepera). Northern shovelers (A. clypeata) and wigeons
(A. penelope) complete this annual gathering of ducks,
which nest deep in the wildest regions of the reserve before heading
to the outer reaches of the delta near the close of August.
Away from the water, forest birds are dominant. Great titmice
(Parus parus), wood pigeons (Columba palumbus),
golden orioles (Oriolus oriolus), and tree sparrows (Passer
montanus) nest in willows. Reed buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus),
Savi’s warbler (Locustella luscinioides), and bearded
tits (Panurus biarmicus) prefer to build their nests in
the thick reeds. Meanwhile cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) are
spread throughout the reserve, laying their eggs in unguarded
nests of warblers (Acrocephalus spp.) and then abandoning
them.
On the islands, mammals range from wild boars (Sus scrofa),
the reserve’s largest wild animal, to the tiny harvest mouse
(Micromys minutus), which builds its nest in upon the stems
of tall plants. Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), raccoon dogs (Nycterutes
procyonoides), weasels (Mustela nivalis), and mink
(M. vison) are the major predators in the reserve. In the
1940s and 1950s, beavers (Castor fiber) and muskrats (Ondatra
zibethica) were released into the zapovednik, and subsequently
became constant residents of the reserve.
Beginning in April, large groups of frogs (Rana ridibunda)
congregate on warm banks in the delta, filling the air with their
characteristic croaking. Their song comes to a climax in May,
when floodwaters cover these banks and female frogs release their
eggs into the water. Green toads (Bufo viridis) and spadefoot
toads (Pelobates fuscus) are rarer in the zapovednik. European
pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) wake from their winter
hibernation at the end of March or beginning of April, going through
two cycles of reproduction during the summer. The reserve also
offers home to Dione ratsnakes (Elaphe dione), two species
of grass snakes (Natrix tessellata, N. natrix), and sand
lizards (Lacerta agilis).
In total, scientists have found 61 different fish in Astrakhansky
Zapovednik, including both typical river and lake species. Fish
in the carp family are the most numerous, filling the waters with
European pike-perch (Stizostedion lucioperca), rudd (Scardinius
erythrophthalmus), bleak (Alburnus alburnus), and tench
(Tinca tinca). In late spring, common carp (Cyprinus
carpio) spawn in groups of 10-15 fish, pulling their bodies
a third of the way out of the water to release their eggs onto
the ground or shallow waters. These eggs hatch in June, and by
July the young fish swim into the major canals of the delta, where
many become food for larger carnivorous fish, such as the colorful
European perch (Perca fluviatilis) and Northern pike (Esox
lucius).
Toward the beginning of November eastern bream (Abramis brama
orientalis), crucian carp (Carassius carassius), and
goldfish (C. auratus gibelia) gather in schools
of hundreds and even thousands of fish. From there some travel
up into the channels of the delta to hibernate, but most spend
the winter close to the edge of the sea.
As with migrating birds, the zapovednik plays an important role
in the lives of migrating fish. The endangered herring Alosa
kessleri volgensis passes through the zapovednik during flood
season on the course of its annual migration between the Caspian
Sea and its spawning grounds in the upper Volga. The comparatively
narrow waters of the zapovednik are too shallow for the Caspian’s
most prized fish, sturgeon, which travel up to spawning grounds
along the Volga River through the delta’s largest branch.
Nonetheless, Russian sturgeon (Acipenser guldenstadti),
stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus), and beluga or
giant sturgeon (Huso huso) sometimes pass through the zapovednik
by chance on their return trip as the river’s current carries
them haphazardly to the sea.
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Vegetation
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Old willows (Salix alba, S. triandra) dominate the narrow
stands of forest that grow along the banks of rivers and streams,
which also incorporate European ash (Fraxinus excelsior),
European white elm (Ulmus laevis), and false indigo (Amorpha
fruticosa). As these old forests fall into decay, dewberry
(Rubus caesius) and lesser pond sedge (Carex acutiformis)
spring up in their place. Colonies of reeds (phragmites australis,
Typha angustifolia, Phalaris arundinacea) and common
club rush (Scirpus lacustris) line the shores.
By the 1960s, scientists had identified 44 species of water plants
growing in the reserve. Pondweeds (Potamogeton berchtoldii,
P. lucens, P. pectinatus, P. crispus, P. perfoliatus, P. nodosus),
water milfoils (Myriophyllum spicatum, M. verticallatum),
straight vallis (Vallisneria spiralis), and American waterweed
(Elodea canadensis) are all common in the zapovednik. Yellow
floating heart (Nymphoides peltata), yellow water lily
(Nuphar lutea), and frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus)
drifts on the surface of the water. The rootless coontail (Ceratophyllum
demersum) is widespread throughout underwater regions of the
reserve. Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus) grows in many
parts of the zapovednik, but raises its delicate pink blossoms
on thin stems well above the water only in shallow regions. Branched
bur-reed (Sparganium erectum) grows along the shoreline,
producing prickly burrs that cling to the fur of passing animals
to help scatter its seeds.
In August, as temperatures peak and the calm waters of the delta
turn translucent, the pink and white flowers of the sacred lotus
(Nelumbo nucifera) and white water lily (Nymphaea alba)
blossom upon a bed of lily pads. When the zapovednik was founded,
a small patch of lotus grew in only the Damchiksky region of the
zapovednik. Thanks to active cultivation of this endangered flower,
it can now be found in all three regions of the zapovednik and
in several other areas throughout the Volga delta. The water chestnut
(Trapa natans), endangered in the Russian Federation, has
also prospered in the protection the zapovednik offers.
Human influence is obvious in many regions of the zapovednik,
where fires, mowing, grazing, and tree cutting have stripped away
the natural plant cover. Among the first plants to grow up in
these areas are tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima), weeping
alkali grass (Puccinella distans), Crypsis aculeata,
sea club-rush (Boboschoenus maritimus), Pannonian Tripoli
aster (Tripolium pannonicum), knotgrass (Polygonum arenarium),
and Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense). Narrow-leaved meadow
grass (Poa angustifolia), Clycyrrhiza glabra, and
Limonium gmelinii grow on dry, steppe-meadow regions of
the reserve that appeared when dams on the Volga River decreased
the volume and duration of annual floods.
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Geographical
Features
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Located at the southern edge of the Volga delta, where the river
spills into the Caspian Sea, Astrakhansky Zapovednik lies at the
apex of a dynamic water system. Roughly the size and shape of
the state of California, the Caspian Sea is the world’s largest
inland sea, and has a significant impact on the development of
the delta. Together the sea and the silt-carrying flow of the
Volga River have formed this delta and continue to change its
relief, continuously creating new islands and canals. As the Volga
River carries sediment downstream, it deposits it at the edge
of sea, creating islands of alluvial deposits of sand, silt, and
clay. Meanwhile, fluctuating water levels in the Caspian Sea have
alternatively dried and flooded the southern reaches of the delta
over the course of several decades.
Despite the proximity of the sea, the Volga delta is located
in the midst of a semi-desert region. Warm winds rising from the
Central Asian deserts provide for abundant sunshine and a frost-free
period that lasts 200 days. Summer temperatures rise to 45 degrees
Celsius, while heavy local rainstorms keep the air and soil moist.
Even so, winters are cold and continental, stretching from December
to March, and freezing even the lower reaches of the delta and
the northern part of the Caspian Sea. In spring, floods rise to
cover many of the islands of zapovednik, up to 90 percent of the
reserve’s total area. At its average level, water covers
about 70 percent of the reserve.
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Conservation
Status
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The idea to form a nature reserve in the Volga delta arose at
the beginning of the 20th century, when an expedition
of scientists from the Zoology Museum of Moscow State University
reported that the shortsighted use of natural resources had already
caused a sharp decline in the number of birds in the region. Each
spring more than half a million eggs were collected, and hunting
went unchecked. In 1915, a special commission was formed to organize
the formation of a reserve in the delta, but was delayed by the
onset of revolution and civil war two years later. Even so, the
scientists’ efforts paid off in 1919 when a local government
representative won an audience with Vladimir Lenin and explained
the need to protect at least portions of the delta. Lenin approved
the plans, and three months later Astrakhansky Zapovednik became
the first zapovednik formed under Soviet rule. At that time the
zapovednik was about one-third its present size, but with time,
and with increased funding, it grew to the 66,000 hectares it
covers today.
In time, the reserve — and the delta as a whole — began
to attract international attention. In 1976, the delta was named
a site of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, encompassing the
entire territory of the zapovednik. In 1984, the zapovednik was
awarded the status of a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Two years later,
it opened an environmental monitoring station for conducting detailed
studies of plant, animals, and climate.
Despite these advances, the state of the zapovednik’s natural
ecosystems has declined significantly since the middle of the
20th century. Increased demands on natural resources
throughout the Volga delta have diminished the abundance of birds
and fish that once came through the reserve. Hydroelectric power
plants built on the Volga River have altered water flow and fish
migrations. Oil and gas exploration and increased interest in
tourism in the delta have brought with them pollution that stretches
into the zapovednik’s borders. Poaching and overfishing in
the Caspian Sea have brought several species of sturgeon —
valued particularly for their dark and flavorful caviar —near
the brink of extinction. Even tourism has become an environmental
threat, as an abundance of visitors disturb nesting birds and
spawning fish. Alone the reserve is simply not large enough to
protect all the species that live in the dynamic delta ecosystems.
Moreover, problems exist even within the reserve. Poaching and
fire-setting are not uncommon due to conflicts between the zapovednik
and local villages, which are characterized by high unemployment
and poverty. Fires are particularly devastating, destroying nesting
sites for numerous birds and old-growth reed colonies that serve
as spawning ground for fishes. For this reason, in recent years
the zapovednik administration has placed particular emphasis on
environmental education in these villages, as well as in the entire
Astrakhan Region. Further, in accordance with the current trend
in Russian biosphere reserves to expand their activity and influence
to regions outside the territory of the zapovednik, Astrakhansky
Zapovednik is currently working to found three biosphere polygons
in the Caspian Sea to demonstrate models of sustainable development.
By working together with local fisheries and tourist agencies
and offering sound data based on years of scientific research,
the zapovednik staff hopes to provide a basis for rational use
of the delta’s natural resources.
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References
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Astrakhansky Zapovednik. Rusakov, G. V. and A. G. Kohechny,
eds. Moscow: Argopromizdat, 1991.
Zapovedniks of the USSR: Zapovedniks of the European Part
of Russia II. Sokolova, V. V. and E. E. Syroechkovsky, eds.
Moscow: Mysl, 1989.
Additional information provided by zapovednik staff.
Text by Lisa Woodson.
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Brought to you by the
Center for
Russian Nature Conservation
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After
twisting its way through northern Russia gaining volume, the Volga
River splits into a fan of more than 250 channels that flow through
the arid steppes of southern Russia before spilling into the Caspian
Sea. The Volga delta is one of the largest in the world, an intricate
maze of streams and rivers that provide spawning grounds for many
species of fish. Narrow stands of willows arch over the calm waters
while wild boars, foxes, and rodents roam through islands of tall
reeds. These ecosystems are preserved in Astrakhansky Zapovednik,
one of Russia’s oldest nature reserves. Founded in 1919 to
protect the rapidly disappearing delta ecosystems, the zapovednik
is now famous as a kingdom of birds, where trees and skies are ever
filled with the noisy songs of eagles, swans, ducks, geese, cranes,
and pelicans.
