This section of the web-site offers you an introduction to the system of protected areas (PAs) of the Leningrad Region. Descriptions to be found here contain the characterization of the landscape, the flora and the fauna of the PAs, the data on their administration, the current nature management regulations and activity restrictions. The descriptions are also a source of practical information about recreation possibilities of each PAs and, importantly, ways of getting there.

To help you navigate this section, some general information about PAs of the Leningrad Region is given below on this page.

      Protected Areas of the Leningrad Region: General Information

The Leningrad Region has an extensive network of protected areas. There are 40 PAs with a total area of 570 thousand hectares (about 6% of the Region's area). Two of them are federal PAs (Nizhne-Svirskii Nature Reserve and "Mshinskoe Boloto" Sanctuary), and the remaining thirty-eight are regional PAs. Five areas are Ramsar sites, that is, wetlands of international significance; they are under an additional protection regime associated with their importance as waterfowl habitats.

PAs of the Leningrad Region fall into four categories: nature reserves, natural parks, sanctuaries and natural monuments. These categories are different as to their purpose, area, nature management regulations, presence or absence of staff and some other characters.

The highest level of protection is provided in nature reserves (also known as strict nature reserves; zapovedniks in Russian), with all natural complexes are preserved and natural processes are monitored. Nature reserves have a research staff and a body of inspectors. Their lands are withdrawn from tenure, which means that all kinds of economic activities are banned; there are also restrictions on visits. There is only one nature reserve in the Leningrad Region, Nizhne-Svirskii.

Sanctuaries (zakazniks in Russian) are established for the purpose of conservation or recovery of natural components or entire complexes and for maintenance of the ecological balance in general. Some kinds of economic activity are usually restricted, but the lands are not, as a rule, withdrawn from tenure.

There are several types of sanctuaries. Complex sanctuaries serve the purpose of conservation and recovery of natural complexes. Biological (botanical and zoological) sanctuaries serve for conservation and recovery of rare and endangered plant and animal species, while paleontological ones, for preservation of fossils. Hydrological sanctuaries are intended for conservation and recovery of valuable aquatic bodies (bogs, lakes, rivers or seas) and their ecosystems, and geological sanctuaries, for preservation of valuable objects and complexes of inanimate nature.

This PAs category is the most widespread in the Leningrad Region. There are 23 sanctuaries, including a recently established Lebiazhii Sanctuary (2007).

Natural monuments are small areas containing unique and irreplaceable complexes and objects, purely natural or partly anthropogenic in origin, such as caves, rocks, waterfalls, groves of rare trees, tracts, river valleys, lakes, etc. The value of natural monuments lies with their ecological, scientific, cultural and aesthetic significance. Their lands are usually not withdrawn from tenure. There are 14 natural monuments in the Leningrad Region.

Natural parks are nature conservation and recreation establishments. Their tasks include preservation of natural landscapes and their recreational resources, provision of recreation possibilities, development of effective nature protection methods for territories under recreation load. Natural parks are usually situated on lands granted them for unlimited duration; in rare instances, on lands of other tenants. Natural parks have a special staff. There is only one natural park of the Leningrad Region, Vepsskii Forest. It comprises seven reservations, zones with special protection regimes.