Important Bird Areas in Europe – Russia ■ RUSSIA TANYA SVIRIDOVA Danilovskoye marshes (IBA 073). (PHOTO: MIKHAIL IVANOV/RBCU) GENERAL INTRODUCTION comprise 154 ‘new’ sites and 64 ‘original’ sites. The previous inventory of IBAs in Europe (Grimmett and Jones 1989) identified Russia, covering about 17,075,400 km2, spans two continents— 75 sites in European Russia (‘original’ sites), but 11 of these (listed Europe and Asia. This account considers only the European part of in Table 1) were excluded from the present review for various Russia, which covers about 3,955,800 km2 and which is bounded in reasons. Of these 11, one (former site SU110) was mistakenly the east by the Ural mountains, in the south by the Caspian Sea, classified as lying in Russian territory but was actually in Belarus Caucasus mountains, the Black Sea and Ukraine, in the west by (see Belarus chapter), four were duplicates of other sites (former Belarus and the Baltic countries, in the north-west by the Fenno- site SU098 was the same as former site SU101, and former sites scandian countries, and in the north by the Arctic Ocean. European SU131, SU134 and SU135 were the same as SU133), while the other Russia straddles the latitudes between 44°N and 82°N (i.e. including six sites do not meet the current IBA criteria (which have been Franz Josef Land), and the longitudes between 20°E and 70°E. revised since 1989). Of the remaining 64 ‘original’ sites which are European Russia crosses three time-zones as well as eight major considered to meet the current criteria, 46 were updated with new biogeographic zones, and contains an enormous diversity of natural, information and were confirmed to meet the revised criteria, while man-altered and artificial environments, which provide habitats there was no new information for the remaining 18, for which for an extraordinarily rich flora and fauna. The biogeographic zones criteria have been assigned provisionally, based on information in vary from semi-desert in the south-east, passing as one moves the original 1989 inventory. northward through steppe, wooded steppe, temperate broadleaved Although the 218 IBAs cover about 174,500 km 2, or about 4.4% and mixed forest, boreal forest (taiga), wooded tundra, and finally of the land area of European Russia, they are not evenly distributed to the tundra proper in the far north. Similar zonation occurs, with throughout this territory. There are few IBAs on the inland tundra, increasing altitude, on the main mountain ranges. away from the Arctic shore—identifying such IBAs is difficult Most of the land surface of European Russia lies between sea because of the lack of infrastructure and because many species breed level and 200 m elevation. There are two high mountain ranges: there in a highly dispersed fashion, meaning that a particular area the Urals (up to c.2,000 m) and the Caucasus (up to c.5,640 m). In on its own may not support a significant number of individuals of addition, the Central Russian Uplands lie in the middle of European a species. In addition, there is a large area in the main forest-zone Russia. Several large rivers cross European Russia, such as the in the north-east of European Russia where very few IBAs have Volga, Pechora, Severnaya Dvina, Onega, and Don. been identified (see Map 1). At the level of individual administrative European Russia includes 53 out of the 89 administrative regions regions, IBAs tend to be located in the valleys of the larger rivers, in the whole country. These incorporate many of the larger centres as these are important ecological corridors and migration routes; of human population in Russia, such as Moscow, St Petersburg, or near to the boundary of the region, where there tends to be less Nizhni Novgorod, Saratov, Kazan’, Samara, Volgograd, Ufa, Perm’, infrastructure and a lower human-population density. Rostov-na-Donu and Stavropol. Away from these centres, population Although the European part is relatively small compared to the densities are generally lower than those elsewhere in Europe. Vast whole of Russia, this territory is still vast compared to the rest of areas of mountains and northern forests are sparsely populated. Europe, and there are thus many potential IBAs whose importance Out of those sites proposed as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) might be confirmed in the future, once more field surveys have during the current IBA review, which spanned 1995 to 1997, a total been carried out. A ‘shadow’ list of such potential IBAs (totalling of 218 were confirmed to meet criteria (Table 1). The 218 sites 151 sites) is presented in Box 2 (at the end of this overview). Field 581 Important Bird Areas in Europe – Russia Map 1. Location, area and criteria category of Important Bird Areas in European Russia (no IBAs were identified in Franz Josef Land). 26 0 500 1000 km 25 ARCTIC OCEAN 30 35 31 29 36 37 32 3 NORWAY 10 11 4 21 5 8 39 7 33 9 34 6 12 38 20 19 22 199 18 202 200 28 40 201 FINLAND 13 16 27 198 41 24 15 23 14 43 17 42 44 57 203 48 4549 53 BALTIC 58 185 ESTO 47 54 183 SEA 46 68 190 209 211 55 51 59 N 50 64 189 IA 52 186 210 65 67 184 205 204 212 56 66 187 191 207 71 192 60 LATVIA 76 105 188 208 61 75 73 101 112 72 110 194 206 63 88 85 99 100 197 217 70 84 109 196 213 LITHUANIA 62 104 218 74 87 98 195 214 69 89 193 2 86 91 102 103 108 111 1 90 215 97 83 106 136 216 93 96 107 80 132 78 95 131 BELARUS 82 139 128 POLAND 92 118 138 126 127 79 77 94 137 117 134 135 81 114 133 129 KAZAKHSTAN 115 121 123 130 113 120 116 124 122 146 182 119 125 147 144 145 UKRAINE 140 149 180 142 141 143 179 157 148 160 165 181 156 166 164 178 Highest category of 150 172 criteria met by IBA 151 159 176 A (188 IBAs) 171 154 177 CASPIAN B (30 IBAs) 158 153 152 155 162 170 SEA Area of IBA (ha) 174 167 169 65,600 to 1,926,489 163 173 24,000 to 65,599 161 168 175 BLACK 8,132 to 23,999 GEORGIA SEA AZER- 20 to 8,131 BAIJAN (and unknown) 582 Important Bird Areas in Europe – Russia Table 1. Summary of Important Bird Areas in European Russia. 218 IBAs covering 174,519 km2 IBA 1989 code code International name National name Administrative region Area (ha) Criteria (see p. 11) 001 — Nemanski forest Nemansky Les Kaliningrad 17,000 B2 002 — Dal’ni forest Les Dal’ni Kaliningrad 4,000 A1 003 SU128 Ainov islands Ainovy Ostrova Murmansk 290 A4i, B1i, B3 004 SU129 Sem islands Sem Ostrovov Murmansk 10,667 A4iii, B1i, B2, B3 005 SU130 Coastal belt of eastern Murmansk Vostochnoye poberezh’ye Murmana Murmansk 260 A4i, B1i 006 SU132 Watershed of the Rivers Strelna and Mezhdurech’ye rek Strelna i Varzuga Murmansk 250,000 B1i Varzuga 007 SU133 Middle reaches of the River Ponoy Srednee techeniye reki Ponoy Murmansk 98,600 A1, A3, A4i, B1i, B2 (Zakaznik Ponoyski) (Zakaznik Ponoyski) 008 SU136 Lapland Biosphere Reserve Laplandski Zapovednik Murmansk 278,436 A3, B2, B3 009 SU137 Kandalaksha Bay Kandalakshski Zaliv Murmansk 208,000 A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B2 010 — Gavrilovski archipelago Gavrilovski arkhipelag Murmansk 1,500 A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3 011 — Surroundings of Kiyesh’yaur lake Okrestnosti ozera Kiyesh’yaur Murmansk 4,000 B2 012 SU138 Lakes of northern Karelia Ozera severnoy Karelii Karelia Republic 1,000,000 A4i, B1i 013 SU141 Kivach Nature Reserve Zapovednik Kivach Karelia Republic 10,880 A3, B2, B3 014 SU142 Olonets plain Olonetskaya ravnina Karelia Republic 18,000 A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, B3 015 — Palinsaari island Ostrov Palinsaari Karelia Republic 100 B1i, B3 016 — Zaonezh’ye Zaonezh’ye Karelia Republic 330,000 A1, A3, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, B3 017 — South-eastern coast of Lake Ladoga Poberezh’ye i ostrova ozera Ladoga Karelia Republic 1,250 A4i, B1i, B2 yuzhneye ust’ya reki Olonki 018 SU140 Onega Bay of White Sea Onezhskaya Guba Belogo Morya Arkhangelsk, Karelia Republic 200,000 A4i, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3 019 SU127 Pinezhski Nature Reserve Pinegski Zapovednik Arkhangelsk 41,244 A1, B2 020 SU139 Solovetski Archipelago Solovetskiye ostrova Arkhangelsk 34,700 A1, A4i, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3 021 — Torna–Shoina watershed Mezhdurech’e Torny i Shoiny Arkhangelsk 15,000 A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, B3 022 — Delta of River Severnaya Dvina Delta Severnoy Dviny Arkhangelsk 50,000 A4i, A4iii, B1i 023 — Lake Lacha Ozero Lacha Arkhangelsk 53,500 A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2 024 — Kenozer’ye Kenozer’ye Arkhangelsk 180,000 A1, A3, A4i, B1i, B2, B3 025 — Bezymyannaya and Gribovaya Bays Guba Bezymyannaya i Gribovaya Arkhangelsk 140,000 A1, A4i, A4ii, B1i, B1ii, B3 and adjoining waters 026 — Arkhangelskaya Bay Guba Arkhangelskaya Arkhangelsk 1,000 A4ii, B1ii 027 — Kargopol’ area Kargopol’skaya sush’ Arkhangelsk 175,000 A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2 028 — Vodlozero Vodlozero Arkhangelsk, Karelia Republic 200,000 A1, B2 029 SU119 Vashutkiny, Padimeyskiye and Vashutkiny, Padimeyskiye i Khargeyskiye Arkhangelsk, Nenetski 25,000 A4i, A4iii, B1i Khargeyskiye lakes Ozera 030 SU120 Vaygach island Ostrov Vaygach Arkhangelsk, Nenetski 340,000 A3, A4i, B1i, B2, B3 031 SU122 Varandeyskaya Lapta peninsula Poluostrov Varandeyskaya Lapta Arkhangelsk, Nenetski 350,000 A4iii 032 SU123 River Chernaya Reka Chernaya Arkhangelsk, Nenetski 200,000 A4iii 033 SU125 Southern coast of Cheshskaya Bay Yuzhnoe poberezh’ye Cheshskoy Guby Arkhangelsk, Nenetski — B1i 034 SU126 Kanin peninsula Poluostrov Kanin Arkhangelsk, Nenetski 500,000 A4i, A4iii, B1i 035 SU121 Khaypudyrskaya Bay (islands of Khaypudyrskaya Guba, ostrova Nenetski 20,600 A4i, A4iii, B1i B.