The Central Chernozem State Reserve, located in the forest-steppe on the Central Russian Upland, was created on February 10, 1935 by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR on the initiative of Professor Moscow state university Vasily Alekhine. It included 4 sections: Streletskaya and Cossack steppe (Kursk region), Yamskaya steppe (Belgorod region) and Khrenovskaya steppe (Voronezh region). In 1936, the Khrenovskaya steppe (33 hectares) was excluded from the reserve.
In 1969, the reserve included the areas Barkalovka (Gorshechensky district) and Bukreevy Barmy (Manturovsky district). At the initiative of UNESCO in 1979, the reserve was included in the world of biosphere reserves. In 1993, the Lysye Gory section (Belgorod region) with an area of 170 hectares was organized, the Stenki-Izgorya section was formed - 267 hectares (Belgorod region). In 1998, the Zorinsky section (Oboyansky and Pristensky districts) and the Poima Psla section (Oboyansky district) were organized.
In 1999, the reserve was reorganized, three sites located on the territory of the Belgorod region - Yamskaya, Lysye Gory and Stenki-Izgorya were transferred to the Belogorye reserve in the Belgorod region, created on the basis of the Les na Vorskla reserve.
At present, the CCR consists of 6 sections: Streletsky (2046.0 hectares), Kazatsky (1638.0 hectares), Bukreevy Barmy (259.0 hectares), Barkalovka (368.0 hectares), Zorinsky (495.1 hectares), The Psla floodplain (481.3 ha) within the Kursk region. The total area of the reserve is 5287.4 hectares.
The climate in the area of the reserve is moderately continental with an average annual air temperature of + 5.7 ° С. The average annual precipitation for the period 1947-2011 was 570 mm. The amount of precipitation in some years can vary from 339 mm in 2010 to 744 mm in 1997. The relief is erosional. The soil cover is dominated by powerful typical chernozems that have never been plowed (virgin).
The reserve consists of a natural core and a three-kilometer security zone surrounding it around the perimeter. The following ecosystems are represented on its territory: steppe and meadow - 49%, forest -36%, wetland - 8%, others - 7% of the area.
The reserve is especially valuable for its soils. The virgin powerful chernozems of the reserve serve as a standard in comparison with which the degree of degradation of the surrounding arable lands is determined, and are of great scientific interest.
1290 species of higher plants are known in the CCZ, and this is more than 70% of the flora of the Kursk region, of which 1145 are vascular and 145 are bryophytes.
110 rare species of vascular plants have been taken under special protection, of which 13 species are listed in the Red Book of Russia: daffodil upland (V. Yulia), Kozo-Polyansky breach, feather grass, feather grass, feather grass, beautiful feather grass, Zalessky feather grass, lady's slipper, peony thin-leaved, Russian hazel grouse, chess hazel grouse, leafless iris, Alaun cotoneaster and Losel's elk.
More than 200 species of algae, 188 species of lichens and about 950 species of mushrooms are registered in the reserve, two of which (griffin umbrella and lacquered tinder fungus) are included in the Red Book of Russia.
The small territory of the reserve is inhabited by 50 species of mammals; wild boar, roe deer, elk, fox, and badger are common. 225 bird species have been recorded. In the meadow steppes, there are many partridges, quails, larks, harriers. In the oak forests of the reserve nest: common buzzard, black kite, common kestrel, goshawk, hobby.
5 species of reptiles have been registered: the quick and viviparous lizards, the spindle, the common snake, the steppe viper; 10 species of amphibians, about 30 species of fish, about four thousand species of insects (19 of them are listed in the Red Book of Russia) and more than 200 species of spiders.
Streletskaya and Cossack steppes belong to meadows and are distinguished by exceptional floristic richness (87 plant species per 1 m 2). There are practically no such steppes left.
On the plots, virgin typical chernozems prevail, only in the Streletskaya steppe can you find soils with a meter thick of a fertile humus layer.
On the relatively small territory of the Streletsky site, 860 species of various grasses, shrubs and trees grow - 739 species. There are 7 species of plants listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation (thin-leaved peony, leafless iris, Russian and chess hazel grouses, Zalessky feather grass, feathery, pubescent and beautiful).
The steppe is separated from the forest by a forest-steppe profile with a width of 500 m, where the relationship between forest and steppe has been studied for many years and until the forest wins: this area is gradually overgrown with trees and shrubs.
The combination of open steppe spaces and forests in difficult terrain conditions, rich soils, highly productive vegetation and an optimal heat and moisture regime contribute to the diversity of the animal world: about 200 species of spiders, more than 4,000 species of insects (of which 850 species of butterflies), amphibians - 7 species, reptiles - 5 species, birds - 189 species, mammals - 40 species.
On the chalk hills of the Barkstovka and Bukreevy Barmy sections, relict plants have been preserved - witnesses of the last glaciation - the daffodil upland and the Kozo-Polyansky breach. In prehistoric times, the glacier practically bypassed the present Kursk region, capturing only a small part from the west and east. During its melting, most of the region's territory was covered with melt water. Already in our time, under the layer of chernozem, loess loams were found, deposited by glacial waters. Barkalovka and Bukreevy Barmy are places where dry "shelters" of periglacial alpine-tundra vegetation have survived. It is here, on the nondescript chalk hills and nearby, in the Kalinovy Log delta, that you can see silky wormwood, desert sheep, low squat rosettes of chalky thyme and low sedge. Back in the 1930s, the famous botanist B.P. Kozo-Polyansky.
524 species of vascular plants grow on the Bukreevy Barma site, of which 8 species (wolfberry, Kozo-Polyansky's breach, Venus's slipper, leafless iris, Alaun's cotoneaster, Russian hazel grouse, feather grass and the most beautiful) are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
On the Barkalovka site, 652 species of vascular plants grow, of which 5 species (wolfberry pine (v. Yulia), leafless iris, Russian hazel grouse, feathery feather grass and beautiful) are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
Animal world sites: amphibians - 7 species; reptiles of 5 types; 34 species of mammals: there are many wild boars, roe deer, elk enter, there are wolves, foxes, hare-hares, stone and forest martens, ermine, weasel, steppe polecat, badger, American mink. 165 bird species were recorded.
The Poima Psla site is located 60 km from the estate in the Oboyansky district, half a kilometer from the Zorinsky site and is a floodplain complex of the Psel River. Consists of three natural boundaries (Plavni, Lutov les and Zapseletsky swamps) and was formed in 1998. Water bodies occupy 2% of the area, and swamps - almost half of the site. The Psol River is inhabited by about 24 species of fish: bream, silver bream, chub, asp, ide, roach, rudd, carp, tench, golden carp, silver carp and others.
About 600 species of vascular plants grow on the site, 15 species are listed in the Red Data Books of the Russian Federation and the Kursk region. There are habitats of rare plant species, such as the meat-red and bloody finger-root, and the snow-white water lily. Here are located oxbow lakes, where the smallest flowering plant in the world lives - wolfia rootless, not found in other areas of the Kursk region, first noted by academician V.N. Sukachev. The woodlands of the Poima Psla site are represented by alder, willow and oak forests.
It is home to the European mink, otter, desman and a large colony of gray heron.
Zorinsky site consists of a forest tract Rasstelische Pristensky district with an area of 115 hectares and Zorinsky swamps, located northeast of the village. Zorino, 8-9 km from the town of Oboyan between two rivers - Psel and Pselets and consisting of a large group of separate swamps with a diameter of 5 to 75 m, with different outlines. The surface of the territory on which they are located is hilly, in places flat, swamps lie in depressions.
The Zorinsky bogs have northern, boreal vegetation, which is in little harmony with the surrounding steppes and deciduous forests. A carpet of sphagnum mosses, which is constantly growing, creates a large underlying layer of peat, which determines the growth of special plant communities here. They include round-leaved sundew, marsh sheuchzeria, three-leafed watch, thin skewer, leafless iris, slender cotton grass, one-sided orthilia and other plants rare for the region.
In total, 794 species of vascular plants grow on the Zorinsky site. The moss flora of the Zorinsky area is very diverse, more than 100 species have been recorded here, 9 of which are listed in the Red Book of the Kursk region. About 250 species of mushrooms are registered, often found rare view- giant raincoat; 47 types of freshwater algae.
The forests of the site are divided into two large categories: continuous forests, represented mainly by oak forests, and, confined to depressions and swamps, small island forest areas (birch and aspen forests) surrounded by fallow lands and meadows.
TsChZ has received wide recognition in scientific circles in Russia and abroad. The main tasks of the reserve: protection natural areas, research and environmental education.
Central Black Earth State Natural biosphere reserve named after Professor V.V. Alekhin since 1979 has been a member of the international network of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, since 1998 he has been the holder of the Diploma of the Council of Europe, and in 2012 entered the Emerald Network of Europe.
Central Chernozem State Natural Biosphere Reserve named after Professor V.V. Alekhin - located on the territory of the Kursk region. Its boundaries have changed several times.
The Central Chernozem Reserve is located in the southwestern part of the Central Russian Upland within middle lane forest-steppe zone, on the territory of Medvensky, Manturovsky, Gorshechensky districts of Kursk region. Area - 5287.4 hectares.
Number of clusters:
- 6 (Streletsky plot with an area of 2046 hectares,
- Cossack plot with an area of 1638 hectares,
- Barkalovka (2 sites) - 368 hectares,
- Bukreevy Barmy (2 sites) - 259 hectares,
- Zorinsky - 495.1,
- Floodplain r. Psel (2 sites) - 481.3 hectares.
The territory of the present Kursk region at the end of the first - beginning of the second millennium was occupied by vast expanses of steppe with ravines and gullies overgrown with forests. Huge herds of tarpans, rounds, saigas, kulans grazed here. An innumerable number of small rodents and marmots lived. Large birds such as bustards and little bustards nested.
Being on the border of the "Wild Field" and the Slavic settlements, the forest-steppe, apparently, experienced a double pressure, both from the nomadic peoples and from the prince's squads, the sedentary northerners of the Posemye. In the 16th century, the main occupation of the inhabitants of Kursk, who defended the southern borders of the Russian state, was agriculture.
The raids of the Crimean Tatars demanded a more reliable cover of the southern border. The government began to attract local and newcomers to the service, they accepted the Don and Zaporozhye free Cossacks. Archers and gunners headed here.
On June 1, 1626, according to the letter of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the steppes near Kursk were transferred to service people - the Cossacks and archers of the Kursk fortress exclusively for grazing and haymaking. Thus, the reserved steppe, which has never been plowed, has been preserved.
"... In the summer of June 7124, on the 1st day of the Tsar, Tsarev, and the Grand Duke Mikhail Fedorovich of All Russia, a letter signed by the clerk Mikhail Danilov, and after the search of the voivode, Ivan Vasilyevich Volynskoy gave a drink to the Kursk archers on their land, which was given to them as a city became. .. "" ... yes, they were given the archers in the Kursk district in the suburban camp across the river beyond the Semya to hay Petrin Dubrov, and near that Petrina, there are oak trees between nine oaks, and now there are seven oak trees. from the midnight side from the cross-country lands to the river to Mlodati and up Mlodati ... and along the wild field and along the oak grove of streltsy hay mows, according to the hay estimate, six thousand kopecks ... "
- Central State Archive of Ancient Acts Fund 1317 Inventory 2 No. 10 sheet 47, sheet 10
According to Professor V.V. Alekhine in the last 300-400 years, meadow-steppe vegetation on the modern territory of the Central Chernozem Reserve was formed under the influence of mowing and grazing, and in some cases in place of forest areas.
In the Streletskaya steppe, early spring grazing, haymaking and autumn grazing after the aftermath (grass that grew after mowing) alternated. Harrowing was periodically used, during which the moss cover was torn off, the sod of cereals was broken.
Burning was used to improve the pastures. This is how these Kursk steppes were first seen in 1907 by V.V. Alekhin, as a final year student at Moscow University.
In 1909, the first article by V.V. Alekhina "Sketch of vegetation and its sequential change on the site Streletskaya steppe near Kursk ", and in 1910 -" Cossack steppe of the Kursk district in connection with the surrounding vegetation ", where he visited a year later.
In 1925, Professor V. N. Khitrovo in the book “Vegetation of the Oryol province. Nature of the Oryol Territory "(the territory of the Central Chernozem Reserve was formerly part of this province) wrote:
"Looking at these last remnants of the colorful harmony of the land, there is an annoying thought: can we really ... not leave for ourselves, but plow the last remnants of steppe vegetation, and our children will only read from books about the past, accessible for enjoyment to every beauty of our land" ...
In the same 1925, Professor of Moscow University V.V. Alekhin, whose name is now the Central Black Earth Reserve, first raised the question of the urgent need to impose a ban on the exploitation of steppe sites in the vicinity of Kursk. The decision to establish the Central Black Earth Reserve was made 10 years later.
Central Chernozem State Reserve named after prof. Alekhina was created on February 10, 1935 on the territory of the Kursk and Belgorod regions by a decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR. The total area was set to be "about 4536 ha".
In the decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of 10 / II 1935 on the organization of the Central Chyological Plant, the following tasks were outlined: natural conditions northern steppes, for the study of steppe biocenoses, processes of formation of chernozem, the relationship between forest and steppe.
The influence of forests in the fight against drought, scientific substantiation of the most profitable use of the natural conditions of the steppes of the northern and middle zone of the European part of the USSR for agriculture and forestry.
The security zone of the Central Chernozem Reserve was formed by the decision of the Executive Committee of the Kursk Regional Council of People's Deputies No. 380 of 07/02/1971. In 1988 it was re-approved and expanded by 3 km (Decision of the Executive Committee of the Kursk Regional Council of People's Deputies No. 294 of 11/17/1988).
At present, the total area of the protected zone is 28,662 hectares (according to the Regulation on the Federal State Institution "Central Chernozem State Natural Biosphere Reserve named after V.V. Alekhin", approved by Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia No. 530 dated June 10, 2003).
The Central Black Earth Reserve was awarded a diploma from the Council of Europe.
Polovtsian statue (stone woman) in the Streletskaya steppe
Activities of the Central Black Earth Reserve
The Central Black Earth Reserve became one of the first biosphere reserves in the USSR (1978). It studies the natural course of processes in natural complexes meadow-steppe virgin lands, forest-steppe oak forests and their contact zone on the Russian Plain, as well as the influence of the anthropogenic factor on these complexes, measures are being developed to promote the preservation and restoration of indigenous biogeocenoses (natural communities).
One of the subjects of protection and study is black soil. Its humus horizon of a lumpy-granular structure, penetrated in the upper part by grass rhizomes, reaches 90 cm. Typical chernozems that have not been plowed are now extremely rare. These are benchmarks that can be used for comparison when studying the impact on soils of modern agriculture. Since 1975, the Central Chernozem Reserve has been used to develop technologies for photographing natural objects from space.
The flora of the Central Black Earth Reserve
The main wealth of the Central Chernozem Reserve is virgin meadow steppes, which represent the primary zonal type of herbaceous vegetation.
The steppes of the Central Black Earth Reserve belong to the type of northern meadow steppes and differ sharply from the dry steppes of the south: the vegetation turns green and develops throughout the summer and does not have a dormant period.
For Central Black Earth, plants such as:
- coastal fire,
- ground veinik,
- awnless bonfire,
- steppe timothy and others.
Also in the Central Black Earth Reserve you can meet:
- chalk crest,
- chalk thyme,
- it is the simplest,
- monofilament sunflower,
- istod (hybrid and Siberian),
- Russian cornflower,
- cornflower meadow,
- flax yellow,
- Ukrainian flax,
- mordovnik ordinary,
- swing high and paniculate,
- chalk bedstraw.
Shiverekiya Podolskaya (a relic of the Tertiary period), as well as Julia's wolfberry, a very rare relict species growing on chalk hills, are quite remarkable.
In the meadow-steppe communities, there are real steppe shrubs (steppe cherry, Russian broom, blackthorn) and semi-shrubs, in which the lower parts of the stems do not die off for the winter (Marshall thyme, yellow flax).
Of particular value is the vegetation of meadow steppes on chalk outcrops in three areas of the Central Chernozem Reserve - Barkalovka, Bukreevye Barmy and Yamskiy.
The basis of the herbage is:
- sedge is low,
- feather grass
- fescue,
- desert sheep,
- chalk thyme,
- onosma is the simplest,
- crescent bullock,
- monofilament sunflower.
In the Central Chernozem Reserve, there are also endemics of the middle part of the Central Russian Upland - the Kozo-Polyansky breach, the multi-veined volodushka, the two-striped ephedra, Julia's wolfberry, the Podolsky Shiverekiya, the Zavadsky dendrantem.
Fauna of the Central Black Earth Reserve
The fauna of the Central Chernozem Reserve is represented by 38 species of mammals from 6 orders:
- 17 species of rodents,
- 10 - predators,
- 5 - insectivores,
- 3 - ungulates,
- 2 - bats and,
- 1 species of lagomorphs.
Of the insectivores in the Central Chernozem Reserve live:
- common and small shrew,
- curator,
The forest mouse hunts in the oak forests of the Central Chernozem Reserve. Its main food is the seeds of trees and shrubs, especially pears and apples. Also, yellow-throated, field and house mice are adjacent to it.
The brown hare is found in large numbers in the Central Chernozem Reserve, since the conditions of the forest-steppe are optimal for its habitation. But, unfortunately for the hare, there is also a predatory fox and wolves.
Among the representatives of ungulates, elk, roe deer and wild boar have settled in the Central Chernozem Reserve. The Central Chernozem Reserve is also rich in representatives of the bird kingdom. There are 177 species of birds of 15 orders, 20 families, 54 genera. Nuthatch, black-headed warbler, singing nightingale, great tit, robin, warbler-rattle, meadow chisel, lark, yellow wagtail, rook, common wheatear, starling, goldfinch, hemp, shrike, swift - that's far from full list birds who have chosen these places.
The fauna of the Central Black Earth Reserve is extremely rich in all kinds of beetles.
Here you can meet:
- ground beetles,
- crunchy,
- darkling beetle,
- leaf beetles,
- weevils,
- barbel.
The Central Chernozem Reserve is located in the forest-steppe on the Central Russian Upland within the Kursk region. An amazing variety of plants and reference virgin chernozems served as the basis for the creation here in 1935 of the Central Black Earth state reserve named after professor V.V. Alekhina (TsChZ).
Central Black Earth Reserve
The main goal of the reserve is to preserve virgin steppe areas in combination with forests of various types as complexes of natural conditions of the northern steppes for the study of steppe biogeocenoses, the formation of chernozem, and the relationship between forest and steppe.
The Central Chernozem Reserve is located in the southwestern part of the Central Russian Upland, within the middle belt of the forest-steppe zone, and consists of six isolated and different in size areas: Streletsky (2046.0 hectares), Kazatsky (1638.0 hectares), Barkalovka (368.0 hectares), Bukreevs Barm (259.0 ha), Zorinsky (495.1 ha) and Poima Psla (481.3 ha). The total area of the reserve is 5287.4 hectares.
The Central Chernozem Reserve has received wide recognition in the scientific circles of Russia and abroad.
Since 1979, it has been included in the system of biosphere reserves of the UNESCO world network.
In 1998 he became the owner of a diploma of the Council of Europe and entered the Association of Specially Protected Natural Areas Central Black Earth Region Russia.
Since 2012, it has been a member of the Emerald Network of Europe.
The reserve consists of a natural core and a three-kilometer protective zone that surrounds it along the perimeter. The following ecosystems are represented on its territory:
- steppe and meadow - 49%
- forest - 36%
- wetlands - 8%
- others - 7% of the area
The Central Chernozem Reserve is located in a temperate continental climate zone with an average annual air temperature of + 5.8 ° C. The coldest months are January, February. The annual precipitation (570 mm) exceeds the annual evaporation (408 mm).
The Central Chernozem Reserve is located within the Voronezh crystalline shield. The most ancient bedrocks, which occur close to the day surface, are Upper Cretaceous deposits, represented by marls, chalk and opokas, as well as sandy deposits of the Paleogene.
Soils are of particular value in the reserve. In terms of nutrient reserves, local chernozems are unmatched in Europe. Under the steppes of the reserve, the thickness of the humus layer reaches 1 meter and even more.
The virgin steppe areas of the reserve for several centuries were in communal use (haymaking and grazing), thanks to which they have survived to this day in their original form. Never touched the steppe chernozems, neither the plow, let alone the plowshare of a modern plow.
There is no place with such a natural landscape in the whole world. It is believed that chernozems are formed in the steppe and forest-steppe zones, mainly under herbaceous vegetation. The peculiarity of the Central Chernozem Reserve is the chernozems under the forests.
Powerful typical chernozems are found only on flat areas of watersheds, near-watershed and coastal slopes, occupying 50-55% of the area. They consist of three horizons - humus, humus transition and carbonate. The humus horizon reaches 80-100 cm. The upper half-meter layer of the humus horizon is densely penetrated by grass roots.
The humus transition horizon is 20-40 cm, the humus content decreases to 1-2%. This horizon differs from the humic and underlying carbonate horizon in color. The carbonate horizon is 1.5 m or more, its lower boundary lies at a depth of about 2.5 m, and sometimes deeper and coincides with the lower boundary of the soil profile. The depth of the upper boundary of the carbonate horizon is variable and subject to seasonal movements. The humus content in the carbonate horizon decreases to 0.4-0.6%.
The main wealth of the Central Chernozem Reserve is virgin meadow steppes, which represent the primary zonal type of herbaceous vegetation. The steppes of the reserve belong to the type of northern meadow steppes and differ sharply from the dry steppes of the south: the vegetation turns green and develops throughout the summer and does not have a dormant period. The nature reserve is characterized by such plants as the coastal fire, ground reed grass, awnless fire, steppe timothy and others.
Also in the reserve you can meet chalky gusset, chalk thyme, onosma protozoa, monolithic sunflower, istod (hybrid and Siberian), Russian cornflower, meadow cornflower, yellow flax, Ukrainian flax, common mordovnik, swing high and paniculate, chalk bedstraw. Shiverekiya Podolskaya (a relic of the Tertiary period), as well as Julia's wolfberry, a very rare relict species growing on chalk hills, are quite remarkable.
In the meadow-steppe communities there are those real steppe shrubs (steppe cherry, Russian broom, blackthorn) and semi-shrubs, in which the lower parts of the stems do not die off for the winter (Marshall thyme, yellow flax). Of particular value is the vegetation of meadow steppes at chalk outcrops in three parts of the reserve - Barkalovka, Bukreevye Barmy and Yamskiy.
The basis of the herbage is low sedge, feather grass, fescue, desert sheep, chalk thyme, onosma protozoa, sickle-shaped hairpot, monolithous sunflower. There are also endemics of the middle part of the Central Russian Upland - Kozo-Polyansky breach, multi-veined volodushka, two-striped ephedra, Julia's wolfberry, Shiverekiyapodolskaya, Zavadsky dendrantem.
The fauna of the Central Chernozem Reserve is represented by 50 species of mammals, which is about 70% of the theriofauna of the Kursk region. In the protected area, the following are common: wild boar, roe deer, elk, fox, badger. In steppe biotopes, there are numerous common mole rat... Only in the Central Chernozem Reserve is there such a species as the dark mouse.
Among the insectivores, the reserve is inhabited by the common and small shrew, kutora, and hedgehog. The forest mouse hunts in the oak forests of the reserve. Its main food is the seeds of trees and shrubs, especially pears and apples. Also, yellow-throated, field and house mice are adjacent to it.
The brown hare is found in large numbers in the reserve, since the conditions of the forest-steppe are optimal for its habitation. But, unfortunately for the hare, there is also a predatory fox and wolves. Among the representatives of ungulates, elk, roe deer and wild boar have settled in the reserve.
The Central Chernozem Reserve is also rich in representatives of the bird kingdom. There are 227 bird species. Passerines (102 species) and falconiformes (26 species) are most fully represented. ... Nuthatch, black-headed warbler, songbird, great tit, robin, rattle warbler, meadow chisel, lark, yellow wagtail, rook, common wheatear, starling, goldfinch, hemp, shrike, swift - this is not a complete list of birds that have chosen these places.
The black kite, common buzzard, and common kestrel nest in the oak forests of all five areas of the reserve. The goshawk does not nest only in the Yamsky area, the goshawk nests in all areas, but irregularly in the oak forests of the Bukreevy Barmy area. Red-footed fawn breeds irregularly. There are few natural hollows for owls in the reserve, but they successfully use the nests of corvids.
There are 5 species of reptiles in the reserve: quick and viviparous lizards, spindle, common snake and steppe viper. Reptiles are more numerous than amphibians, and their number is more constant. This is due to the fact that 3 species - steppe viper, spindle and viviparous lizard - are viviparous and the development of their eggs practically does not depend on weather conditions. A quick lizard and an ordinary one already lay their eggs in the soil, in humid, well-warmed places, and in a cold rainy summer, eggs can die due to lack of necessary conditions for incubation.
The most numerous are the steppe viper and the quick lizard; the viviparous lizard and the spindle are less common. The legless spindle lizard is called by the local population a smooth or copperhead for a tight-fitting smooth scaly cover and is usually considered poisonous snake... The common one is rare, only at the cordon in the Gorodnoye tract, in Barkalovka.
There are 10 types of amphibians: green toad, common garlic, sharp-faced, lake, pond and edible frogs, red-bellied toad, comb and common newts. There are almost no natural water sources in the reserve, and the groundwater is deep. Only the bog in the Barkalovka tract, three ponds in the Streletsky area and a reservoir in the protection zone of the Yamsky area do not dry up.
Of the invertebrates in the reserve, only insects are about 4 thousand species. The fauna of the reserve is extremely rich in all kinds of beetles - 2039 species, butterflies - more than 856, Diptera - 519, Hymenoptera - 289 and bugs - 190 species. Here you can meet ground beetles, beetles, dark beetles, leaf beetles, weevils, barbel beetles, lemongrass, urticaria, mourning birds, swallowtail, hawk moths and a huge number of other representatives.
Of insects - 19 species are listed in the Red Book of Russia. The entomofauna of the reserve is not just a mixture of forest and steppe species. Many insects are found only in the forest-steppe. About 200 species of spiders were reported from the sites of the reserve.
In 2003, on the territory of the central estate in the village. The reserve was opened by the Ecological Information Center with an area of 128 sq. m. It houses a study room, library, kitchen and sanitary block. On the basis of the Ecocenter, various environmental educational events are held: video lectures, seminars, thematic lessons for local schoolchildren, environmental circles, and the Ecocentre's library is replenished with methodological and environmental-biological literature, video films, photographs that are used by students and schoolchildren. The Ecocenter is visited by about 1,000 people a year.
Excursion trail number 1 "Streletskaya steppe".
Ecological trail 0.5 km long. On the eco-trail, a panorama of virgin steppe opens before the eyes of visitors. The guide acquaints visitors with the rules of behavior on the trail, with different modes of conservation of the steppes, with the species composition of plants.
In the middle of the route along the trail, against the background of a Scythian mound located in a protected zone, there is a cultural monument of the 11th century - a stone statue, the so-called "stone woman", made a thousand years ago by the Polovtsians, the route passes along the border of the mown and unmown sections of the steppe, where differences are visible between them and the species of the Red Book of Russia grows - a thin-leaved peony.
Excursion trail number 2 "Reserved oak grove".
The ecological trail is 2.0 km long and circular. Starts from the village. Zapovedny and goes along the forest road of the Dubroshina tract, which leads to a forest clearing between quarters No. 21 and No. 22, along which sightseers return back. At the beginning of the ecotrail there is a story about different types of forest, about coppice oak forests, about species composition tree-shrub and herbaceous vegetation, about the animal world and traces of its vital activity.
After 200 meters, there is a soil section with standard powerful typical chernozems, where tourists get acquainted with the characteristic features of the structure of these soils. In the middle of the route, the trail opens onto a clearing and visitors get to know military history the Dubroshin tract, where the guards tank unit was stationed, before entering its last battle on the borders of the fiery Kursk Bulge. At the end of the route, visitors are shown scientific stations.
Six small islands of untouched marvelous nature in the Kursk region are our wealth and pride.
Reception hours for sightseers: from 8 am to 4 pm daily.
Photos of the Central Chernozem Reserve
For 78 years, the Alekhine Central Black Earth Reserve has existed on the territory of the Kursk Region. Together with Voronezh botanists, Professor Vasily Alekhin initiated the creation of a steppe reserve. On the basis of the collected materials in 1935, by the decision of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Central Black Earth State Reserve was established.
Today the total area of the reserve is 5287.4 hectares. It consists of six sections: Kazatsky, Bukreevy Barmy, Barkalovka, Zorinsky, Poima Psla and Streletsky. About the latter and there will be a speech Further.
The fact is that in the immediate vicinity, namely, 30 km from the Streletsky site, the Kursk NPP is located, which, as many believe, can threaten environmental safety on the territory of the region. However, the station employees are convinced of the opposite. In order to dispel this myth, a field tour was organized at the Kursk NPP, where the guests could see with their own eyes that this judgment was false.
Streletsky area is the largest among the rest. It is located 10 km south of Kursk and stretches as a narrow belt for almost 8 km, having in its western part 3 small forest tracts: Dubroshina, Solovyatnik and Dedov Vesely, and in the eastern part - Petrin forest.
By the way, according to the director of the reserve Andrey Vlasov, forests occupy 40% of the territory. A little more area, namely - 42.4%, is occupied by steppes and meadows. Deputy Director of the Reserve Valentina Soshnina an excursion was held, from which the guests learned a lot of interesting things.
It all started with a visit to the museum, which contains information about the history of the reserve. So, according to Valentina Soshnina, the area of the reserve can be defined as meadow steppes. “Feather grass blooms here in summer, so we can definitely say that these are not just meadows. For those steppe flowers that are collected within the reserve, you can also study history, ”- said Valentina Petrovna.
The steppe changes its color several times a year. The field can be seen white, yellow, red, pink, blue, and, of course, silver. This means that feather grass has bloomed. In total, 4 species of feather grass grow on the territory of the reserve, but only one species can be seen with the naked eye. “We sent feather grass seeds to the Kulikovskoye field, where they want to reconstruct their former beauty,” the guide notes with pride, “only there, experts want feather grass to bloom all summer, and this is very difficult to achieve, since this plant blooms in early June”.
By the way, if you don't care for the steppe, don't mow it in time, the field will overgrow in 2-3 years. That is why the staff of the reserve have to work up their sleeves.
There are also other reserve regimes in the reserve: pasture, where the home is grazed cattle; unmown, which in our conditions is overgrown with trees and shrubs, and pyrogenic, when a section of the steppe is burned out.
In total, 860 species of various grasses, shrubs and trees grow on a relatively small territory of the reserve, seven species of plants are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. This is a thin-leaved peony, leafless iris, Russian and chess hazel grouses, feather grass, feathery, pubescent and beautiful.
There is also a local attraction in the steppe - a stone woman, which is already about 1000 years old. Once upon a time, the Polovtsians lived in these places, who erected similar monuments from red granite and limestone. They were put on three occasions: when someone from the aristocracy died; at crossroads; used as a deity. However, later all the stone women on the territory of the reserve were destroyed. This monument was presented to the reserve by Ukrainian colleagues. By the way, it is believed that the stone woman has a strong energy. Periodically, psychics come to the reserve, who see the radiation emanating from the monument. Tourists have come up with their own legend. It is believed that if you rub a woman, then your cherished desire will certainly come true.
The combination of open steppe spaces and forests in conditions of difficult terrain, rich soils, highly productive vegetation and an optimal heat and moisture regime contribute to the diversity of the animal world: about 200 species of spiders, more than 4,000 species of insects (of which 850 species of butterflies), amphibians - 7 species, reptiles - 5 species, birds - 189 species, mammals - 40 species.
The common mole rat is especially troublesome for the staff of the reserve. This animal can be found on almost every summer cottage... He carries the tubers of plants into his hole, thereby annoying the gardeners. “We tried to fight him, but we failed,” Valentina Petrovna throws up her hands. But a mole rat family is able to stock up to seven bags of potatoes, roots and bulbs for the winter.
There are steppe vipers, meadow harriers, mice, weasels and many other animals on the territory of the Streletsky site. In general, the seminar "Impact of the Kursk NPP on the ecology of the region" proved that the station does not harm the surrounding flora and fauna.
In addition, since 2007, the Central Chernozem Reserve has been working to study biological diversity flora and fauna on the territory of the coastal protective and dividing strip of the cooling pond of the nuclear power plant.
Studies of the avifauna of the KuNPP cooling pond showed that more than 100 species of birds, 230 species of vascular plants were found on its territory and the adjacent sanitary protection zone. Also, five plant species are registered there, listed in the Red Book of the Kursk region. Mycological studies have identified about 50 species of fungi.
The existing regime and favorable environmental conditions on the territory of the dividing strip of the KuNPP cooling pond ensure complete safety and peace of all its inhabitants.
Central Federal District, Kursk region
Settlements:
Date of formation: 02/10/1935
Purpose:
Business profile:
Office:
Territory
Number of clusters: 6 clusters
Total area: 5287.00 ha
Protected zone area: 32973.00 ha
Area of plots included in the boundaries of protected areas: 5287.00 ha
Contact Information
History and purpose of creation
Central Chernozem State Reserve named after prof. V.V. Alekhina (TsChZ) was established on February 10, 1935 by a decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR as part of the Streletskaya and Cossack steppes (Kursk region), Yamskaya steppe (Belgorod region) and Khrenovskaya steppe (Voronezh region).
1936 - Khrenovskaya steppe (33 hectares) was excluded from the reserve.
1969 - Barkalovka (Gorshechensky district) and Bukreevy Barmy (Manturovsky district) areas were included in the reserve.
1971 - the Museum of Nature was opened at the central estate in the village. Reserved
1979 - at the initiative of UNESCO, the reserve was included in the world network of biosphere reserves
1993 - the Lysye Gory site (Belgorod region) with an area of 170 hectares was organized.
1995 - TsChZ became a full member of the Federation of National Parks and Natural Reserves of Europe.
1995 - the Stenki-Izgorya section was formed - 267 hectares (Belgorod region).
1998 - CCHZ became the owner of the Diploma of the Council of Europe.
1998 - the Zorinsky section (Oboyansky and Pristensky districts) and the Poima Psla section (Oboyansky district) were organized.
1999 - reorganization of the reserve: three sites located on the territory of the Belgorod region - Yamskaya, Lysye Gory and Stenki-Izgorya were transferred to the Belogorye reserve in the Belgorod region, created on the basis of the Les na Vorskla reserve.
2003 - the Ecological Information Center of the Reserve was opened.
In the XYI century, the main occupation of the inhabitants of Kursk, who defended the southern borders of the Russian state, was agriculture. The raids of the Crimean Tatars demanded a more reliable cover of the southern border. The government began to attract local and newcomers to the service, they accepted the Don and Zaporozhye free Cossacks. Archers and gunners headed here. The surrounding steppes were assigned to the Kursk garrison, where cattle were grazed and hay was prepared for them.
The organization of the Central Black Earth Reserve is closely related to the name of the professor of Moscow University Vasily Vasilyevich Alekhin (1882-1946). According to V.V. Alekhine in the last 300-400 years, meadow-steppe vegetation on the modern territory of the reserve was formed under the influence of mowing and grazing, and in some cases in the place of forest areas. In the Streletskaya steppe, early spring grazing, haymaking and autumn grazing after the aftermath (grass that grew after mowing) alternated. Harrowing was periodically used, during which the moss cover was torn off, the sod of cereals was broken. Burning was used to improve the pastures.
V.V. Alekhin was born on January 17, 1882 in Kursk, in 1901, after graduating from the Kursk men's gymnasium, he entered Moscow University at the natural department of the physics and mathematics faculty. After graduating from the university, Alekhine remained to teach there. In 1907 V.V. As a fifth-year student, Alekhin first entered the Streletskaya Steppe, and already in 1908 he made his first report to the Moscow Society of Nature Experts “On the Virgin Steppe in Kursk”. In 1909, he published his article "Sketch of vegetation and its successive change in the Streletskaya steppe section near Kursk", and in 1910 - "Cossack steppe of the Kursk district in connection with the surrounding vegetation", where he visited a year later. These works laid the foundation for the systematic study of the patterns of the composition of the vegetation cover of virgin steppe lands. The Moscow Soil Committee in 1919 organized soil-botanical research, which covered the Streletskaya and Cossack steppes. In 1924, Alekhin, on his own initiative, again surveyed the vegetation of the Kursk region. The result of his trips was the discovery of the virgin lands of the Yamskaya steppe (now the Belgorod region). In 1925, he appeared in print with an article “Vegetation cover of the Central Black Earth Region”, in which he first raised the question of the need to preserve the Streletskaya, Cossack and Yamskaya steppes.
On the instructions of the People's Commissariat for Education, a deep preparatory work was carried out to select the objects of conservation. Based on these materials, it was decided to organize a steppe chernozem reserve on the territory of the Central Black Earth Region. In 1930, the Presidium of the Regional Executive Committee of the Central Black Earth Region declared a number of steppe areas to be complete reserves of local importance, including the Yamskaya (50 ha) and Cossack (100 ha) steppes. In 1931 - 1934. Alekhine and his students continue to study the steppe vegetation of the Kursk virgin lands. Among his students are talented youth - T.B. Vernander, G.I. Dohman, N.A. Prozorovsky, S.S. Levitsky, V.M. Pokrovskaya and others. A great merit in preserving the virgin steppes of the Streletsky and Yamsky areas from plowing belongs to the Kursk Regional Museum of Local Lore, which from 1930 to 1935. provided supervision over the safety of the steppes.
On the Streletskaya and Cossack steppes in 1932, headed by N.A. Prozorovsky and under the general guidance of A.P. Modestov (VASKhNIL), a special expedition worked, which was engaged in identifying plants containing tannins and valuable alkaloids. In 1933, Moscow University organized under the leadership of Professor V.V. Hammerling complex expedition to study the Kursk virgin lands. On the expedition led by Professor V.V. Alekhin, geobotanists N.A. Prozorovsky, T.I. Rybakova-Alabina, soil scientist K.M. Smirnova, geomorphologists Z.N. Baranovskaya and N.A. Dick, zoologist E.H. Zolotareva and others. Materials of the study of virgin steppe were of great scientific value and were mostly published. In 1935 V.V. Alekhine, together with the Voronezh botanists, initiated the creation of the first steppe reserve. On the basis of the collected materials on February 10, 1935, by the decision of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Central Chernozem State Reserve was established as part of the Streletskaya (2000 ha), Cossack (1200 ha) - Kursk region, Yamskaya (500 ha) - Belgorod region (in 1999. was transferred to the reserve "Belogorye") and Khrenovskaya (836.4 ha) steppes - Voronezh region. From July 7 to August 24, 1935, the first director of the reserve N.A. Prozorovsky (later a professor at Moscow University) established the boundaries of the first three sections on the ground. In 1936, the Khrenovskaya steppe was excluded from the reserve, and in 1937, areas of oak forests (Kazatsky, Dubroshina, Solovyatnik, Dedov Vesely) with a total area of 956 hectares were added to the reserve.
Research work has begun with the organization of the reserve. The first studies of the initial protected period were carried out by E.A. Afanasyeva, who was a generally recognized expert on chernozems. Academician I.V. Tyurin, researcher K.V. Verigin. Before the war, the reserve was headed by F.F. Zheleznov (1936-1939) and I.M. Akhlopkov (from 1939 until evacuation). Before the war, a small scientific department worked in the reserve: the head of the scientific department A.B. Nikolaev, research fellows-botanists N.D. Zhuchkov (died at the front) and O.S. Sokolova, laboratory assistant G.M. Zhmykhov. They were assisted by the chief forester V.K. Gertsyk and observer N. Kotsiy. Employees of Moscow State University also worked: A.E. Kormilova, Z. V. Sudakova, Z.S. Shkuratenko.
Vasily Vasilyevich supervised all botanical research in the reserve. Alekhine's classic works on the Kursk steppes were included in all textbooks of botanical geography and became known all over the world, he is the author of the textbook "Plant Geography" for universities, he owns more than a hundred published works in the field of geobotany.
By the beginning of the war, the territory of the Central Black Earth Reserve consisted of three sections: Streletsky (15 km south of Kursk), Kazatsky (25 km southeast of Kursk) and Yamsky (20 km west of Stary Oskol) with a total area of about 3, 7 thousand hectares.
The period of occupation of the territory of the reserve lasted about 15 months and practically coincided with the surrender and liberation of Kursk (November 3, 1941 - February 8, 1943). The occupation was carried out by German and Hungarian troops. The German fascist invaders caused enormous damage to the reserve. They completely cut down all the forests of operational importance in the Streletsky and Yamsky areas. The Cossack area was somewhat better preserved, which was largely facilitated by the actions of the partisans. On the central estate of the reserve, a botanical nursery with an area of about 4 hectares has been plowed up, experimental plots for the reproduction of the process of humus formation in chernozems have been destroyed. After the liberation of the territory of the reserve from occupation, the oak forests were used to shelter the Soviet military equipment in preparation for the battle at the Kursk Bulge. For some time, units of the 1st tank army Voronezh Front. Dozens of units of military equipment (tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, trucks) were camouflaged in the forest tracts of the reserve. Our tankers dug out a large number of caponiers, communication trenches, trenches and dugouts, but did not stay long and left pretty soon.
The restoration of the reserve regime began immediately after the liberation of the territory from the invaders in 1943 under the eldest worker of the reserve, the senior forester V.K. Gertsyk, who at first served as director. In 1945 V.V. Alekhine last visited the reserve, whose staff, as he wrote, then consisted of one director. However, 12 botanists from Moscow University were already working in the steppes of the reserve at that time. Until 1946, work on the restoration of scientific research in the reserve was directed by V.V. Alekhin, who draws up a reasoned conclusion and contributes to the adoption of a decision by the Kursk Regional Executive Committee on joining the 300 hectares of the old deposit to the Cossack section of the reserve. After the death of V.V. Alekhina On April 3, 1946, N.A. Prozorovsky and I.G. Rozmakhov. In 1947, the Dalnee Pole deposit with an area of 267 hectares was added to the Cossack site.
By 1949, the reserve had reached the pre-war level of research volume. The Soil Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences and Moscow University resumed their work on the territory of the reserve.
From 1950 to 1959 - the period of the primary study of nature. The main inventory work was carried out, the first generalizations were made about the regularities of the hydrothermal and gas regimes of virgin chernozems, the development of steppe vegetation. The nature of the research is clearly outlined in the reserve. The participants in such studies were the Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, the Soil Science Institute named after V.I. V.V. Dokuchaeva, Institute of Animal Morphology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR named after V.I. A.N. Severtsova, Moscow, Voronezh, Ulyanovsk pedagogical institutes, etc., which, together with a team of researchers of the reserve, carried out deep and versatile studies of the forest-steppe natural complex.
Since 1960, the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR joined the research participants, which set the task of studying the problem of metabolism and energy in natural environment forest-steppe zone.
34 years after the foundation of the reserve, in 1969, at the request of the Kursk regional executive committee, two new plots with an area of 597 hectares were added to it - Barkalovka and Bukreevy Barmy, which attracted the attention of scientists after visiting the southeast of the Kursk region by professors V.V. Alekhin and B.P. Kozo-Polyansky (later Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences). Here, the habitats of representatives of the relict flora were discovered - the daffodil upland (v. Yulia), Zavadsky dendrantems, etc. Back in 1947, by a special decision, Barkalovka and Bukreevy Barma were taken under special protection as natural monuments, but the intensification economic activity in the area of these sites demanded a stricter conservation regime. The preservation of rare vegetation in these unique places was facilitated by the Kursk Regional Society for Nature Conservation, which has repeatedly organized their expeditionary surveys.
Since 1963, water balance studies have been carried out by the Institute of Geography of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the Central Chernozem Reserve.
From 1961 to 1985 the reserve was headed by A.M. Krasnitsky During this time, the village was completely built and landscaped. Zapovedny is the central estate of the reserve. The village was connected by an asphalt road with the Moscow - Simferopol highway. Constant electricity appeared, water supply and sewerage systems were put into operation. The settlement, one of the first in the region, was gasified. By 1967, a new office building, garages, a bathhouse, a post office, a building for a shop, two two-storey residential buildings, etc. were built. The old office building was converted into the Museum of Nature, which opened in 1971.
Since 1974, the reserve has been developing comprehensive research, it becomes the basis for the development of aerospace (remote) progressive methods of studying geology, soil cover, phenology, productivity and welfare of vegetation cover, animal population and other elements of the forest-steppe landscape.
In 1979 the reserve is included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves. By this time, the traditions of a comprehensive study of the phenomena and processes taking place in the natural complexes of the reserve according to the Chronicle of Nature program had developed.
In September 1993, the Lysye Gory site in the Gubkinsky District with a total area of 170 hectares was added to the Central Chernozem Reserve. In 1995, the territory of the CCZ increased by 267 hectares due to the inclusion of the Stenki-Izgorya section in the Novooskolsk district of the Belgorod region (later transferred to the Belogorye reserve).
In 1998, the reserve included two new sites with a total area of 986.4 hectares: "Zorinsky" and "Poima Psla". The Zorinsky bogs received a conservation status back in 1977, becoming a natural monument of the Kursk region.
In 1998, the TsChZ became the owner of the Diploma of the Council of Europe among four out of a hundred reserves in Russia.
For some time, 9 sites were part of the Central Chernozem State Reserve, but in 1999, 3 sites - Yamskaya, Lysye Gory and Stenki-Izgorya, located in the Belgorod Region, were transferred to the Forest on Vorskla nature reserve, which received a new name - "Belogorie".
In 2003, the Ecological Information Center of the reserve was opened.
At present, the Central Chernozem Reserve includes 6 areas located at a distance of 120 km from each other on the territory of the Kursk Region.
Role in nature conservation
The reserve was established to preserve and study the standard virgin chernozems and the last areas of virgin steppes with the richest species diversity of herbaceous vegetation. Central Chernozem State Natural Biosphere Reserve named after prof. V.V. Alekhina (TsChZ), located on the territory of the Kursk region, is the oldest and most famous both in our country and abroad. In the decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of 10 / II, 1935 on the organization of the Central Black Earth Plant, the following tasks were outlined: , processes of formation of chernozem, the relationship between forest and steppe. The influence of forests in the fight against drought, scientific substantiation of the most profitable use of the natural conditions of the steppes of the northern and middle zone of the European part of the USSR for agriculture and forestry.
On the two oldest sites of the CCZ, Streletsky and Kazatsky, the zonal type of vegetation, which has practically disappeared in the European forest-steppe, is preserved - upland meadow steppes, which are characterized by indicators of species saturation, outstanding for extratropical vegetation (87 species per 1 sq. M.), High productivity, colorfulness and richness of flora. Meadow-steppe vegetation grows on virgin typical chernozems, the thickness of the humus horizon of which reaches 1.5 m.
The other two sites, Bukreevy Barmy and Barkalovka, are characterized by petrophytic steppe communities on the slopes of chalk hills with preglacial (relict) plant species, including daphne cneorum, listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, and not found in other reserves in the country.
At the Zorinsky site, the most interesting are sphagnum bogs in suffosion basins with a high diversity of sphagnum mosses. The Psla Poyma area includes floodplain alder and oak forests, swamps and oxbows, where the world's smallest flowering plant, rootless wolfia and the largest colony of gray heron, lives.
??: ??? P? ? "_ ster-classes and interactive programs. In particular, any guest of the stand of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia will be able to try on real skis of the Mansi people, take part in felting products from felt, learn how camera traps work and much more.
Within the framework of the festival of the Russian Geographical Society, the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia also organized unique performances by creative teams working in reserves and national parks Russia, as well as a whole program of environmental documentary films.
At the site of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia in the Central House of Artists, a press approach of the Minister will take place natural resources and ecology of the Russian Federation Sergei Donskoy. The time will be announced later.
The detailed program of the festival of the Russian Geographical Society can be found here.
On October 31, 2014, the first stage of the All-Russian campaign "Alley of Russia" is coming to an end. For four months, any inhabitant of our country had the opportunity to choose a plant-symbol of their region. The All-Russian Action "Alley of Russia" is held in accordance with the order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1798-r dated 11.09.2014. The first "Alley of Russia" is planned to be landed in Sevastopol for the Victory anniversary - May 9, 2015.
Especially valuable natural objects
Of particular value and pride of the reserve is the "king" of soils - black soil, which has no equal in Europe in terms of nutrient reserves.
International status
Since 1978, the CCHR has been a member of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Since 1998, the reserve has been the holder of the Diploma of the Council of Europe.
In 2012, all six sites of the Central Black Earth Reserve were officially assigned the status of promising sites for the Emerald Network of Europe.
Description
The reserve is located in the southwestern part of the Central Russian Upland within the middle zone of the forest-steppe zone, on the territory of the Kursk, Medvensky, Manturovsky, Gorshechensky, Oboyansky, Pristensky districts of the Kursk region. 4 sections of the reserve are located in its southwestern part and belong to the Dnieper river basin: Streletsky and Cossack areas (51 ° 34'N 36 ° 06'E) are located at an altitude of 178-262 m above sea level, Zorinsky (51 ° 11'N 36 ° 24'E). - at an altitude of 169-200 m, and the Psla Floodplain (51 ° 11? N 36 ° 19? E) - 155-167 m above sea level at the watershed of the Seim and Psla rivers.
2 sections of the reserve are located in the southeastern part of the Central Russian Upland and belong to the Don river basin: Barkalovka (51 ° 33'N 37 ° 39'E) and Bukreevy Barmy (51 ° 30'N 37 ° 18? E) at an altitude of 163-238 m above sea level at the watershed of the Oskol and Ksheni rivers.