Dubossary District, 11 January. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Today marks the Day of Nature Reserves and National Parks.
Nature reserves and national parks — especially protected natural areas — are nearly the only way today to prevent the death of at least a small part of wildlife and fauna. They preserve 80% of the species wealth of flora and fauna.
The Biodiversity Conservation Centre and World Wide Fund for Nature initiated the celebration of the International Day of Natural Reserves and National Parks in 1997. It is supported today by many environmental organisations and movements.
The choice of the day (11 January) was not accidental as the first state nature reserve — Barguzin — was established on this day in 1917. It was aimed at preserving the population of the Barguzin sable and other animals near Baikal Lake. In 1986 UNESCO granted the Barguzin Nature Reserve the status of biosphere reserve.
The pearl of Pridnestrovie is the state nature reserve Yagorlyk (Iagorlic), located in Dubossary District. Its territory includes the Yagorlyk slough with the wellhead part of the Yagorlyk River and adjoining natural areas Litvino, Balta and partly Tsybulevka. The reserve also encompasses a sector of the left bank of the Dubossary reservoir, a part of the Tsybulevka natural area and the lower part of the valley of the small Sukhoy Yagorlyk River with a channel pond and with a natural area of the same name.
The reserve was established to preserve the natural water area and the bank zone of the Yagorlyk slough, after which it was called. The territory is surrounded by a 1.5 km conservation zone with a limited environmental management regime.
«Time has shown that the introduction of the protection regime has preserved the unique steppe communities of petrophyte calciphilous plants and endemics of central Pridnestrovie. At present, however, due to an increased impact of negative factors, the reserve needs urgent measures to optimise favourable conditions for local flora and fauna," said the acting director of the Yagorlyk Nature Reserve, Tatyana Sharapanovskaya, in an interview with Novosti Pridnestrovya.
She explained that the whole package of measures has been implemented since 2009 in the context of ecological reconstruction. Among them are sowing pubescent oak acorns, seeds of steppe herbs (especially those rare and included in the Red Book). Besides, the shrubs of blackthorn and hawthorn are removed from the most valuable steppe plots.
«In order to restore the fish population of the Middle Dniester, artificial spawning nests are annually installed. The reserve conducts a great deal of research work to monitor the species composition of flora and fauna, annually examines several new for the reserve species of plants, fungi, insects, birds, animals," said Tatyana Sharapanovskaya.
In February, the state nature reserve will mark its 29th anniversary. Throughout all these years the local staff has been working to create conditions conducive to the protection and maintenance of natural reproduction of rare and endangered species of animals and plants, the study of the natural course of natural processes. The reserve carries out environmental reconstruction, restores grassy steppe vegetation, trees and bushes inherent to the region.
Currently, local specialists are providing comprehensive arrangements for the environmental reconstruction of a small part of the reserve. In the long run, comprehensive reconstruction will cover the whole area of the reserve.
Yagorlyk can boast a variety of species of flora and fauna. Every year previously extinct species of plants, including those from the Red Book of the PMR, are discovered here. Approximately 280 species of plants grow in the reserve.
Among them are endemics (species that can be found in a narrow area), koeleria lobata, jurinea stoechadifolia, pulsatilla pratensis, crocus reticulatus, wood anemone, fritillaria montana, peach-leaved bellflower, prunus tenella, stipa pennata.
A large variety of medicinal, edible and technical plants also grow in Yagorlyk.
There are many species of animals and birds in the reserve. Among them are rare animals and birds, including those from the Red Book of the PMR, such as otter, wild cat, Mediterranean water shrew, hawk, harrier, owl, saker falcon, mute swan, great egret, stock-dove, wood pigeon and so on.
