The expedition, organized by WWF Russia, will help determine the state of rare species and animals in remote forests and swamps of the Pinezhsky district of the Arkhangelsk region.
Specialists will spend almost two weeks in this area. They will have to find out if there is a wild reindeer in the area, which is listed in the Red Book of Russia. 15 years ago, the deer lived here, but was exterminated. There is no new information on this territory, and research has not been carried out for a long time.
“Over the past 20 years, the number of wild reindeer in the Arkhangelsk region has declined dramatically as a result of poaching, the destruction of suitable habitats and climate change. Small groups of deer have survived only in a few areas of the region, the species is on the verge of extinction. If we manage to find traces of the presence of a deer on the territory of Sebbolot, this will be another confirmation of the value of the forest and swamp complex and a weighty argument for creating a new regional reserve,” the WWF Russia press service quotes the words of the expedition member, project coordinator of the representative office of the Wildlife Fund in the Arkhangelsk Region Andrey Kopytov.
The specialists also intend to describe the landscapes, soils and forest fund. According to scientists, the Sebbolot wetlands and the surrounding forests are of great ecological importance.
This area is a reserve for migratory and nesting waterfowl. During migrations, flocks of whooper swans, white-fronted geese and bean gooses rest here, common cranes, peregrine falcons, hobby falcons, gray owls and other species of animals and plants listed in the Red Data Book.
The wetland system of Sebbolot is also significant for maintaining the full flow of rivers and water quality in the surrounding areas.
Back in the early 1990s, Sebboloto was included in the list of Ramsar wetlands recommended for protection. Currently, the proposal of scientists to give the site the status of a specially protected area is included in the regional plan for the development of a system of specially protected natural areas in the Arkhangelsk region.
According to experts, new field data on the natural value of Sebbolot and adjacent territories will help to correct the boundaries of the projected reserve and, possibly, expand them.
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