Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve

Berezinsky was established in 1925 and is among the oldest protected areas in the region, covering around eight hundred square kilometres of the Berezina river valley: raised bogs, floodplain, spruce and pine forest and black alder swamp, much of it never drained or logged, which is why it was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve. European bison were reintroduced and live in the reserve alongside brown bear, lynx, wolf, elk and beaver, though the bison and bear are seen mainly in the enclosures near the visitor centre. Boardwalk trails cross the bog, a museum of nature stands at Domzharytsy, and guided walks and boat trips run into the core areas.

History

The scientist Anatoly Fedyushin first proposed a reserve here as head of a survey committee appointed in 1924, and Berezinsky was founded on 30 January 1925, one of the first nature reserves in the Soviet Union; 30 farmsteads were moved off the protected land from 1928 to 1930, and farms for breeding beaver and elk were set up in 1935. In 1951 the authorities turned it into a hunting reserve, and more than 40 square kilometres of forest were felled, but its status was restored in 1958; it became a biosphere reserve in 1979, joined the Council of Europe's network of biogenetic reserves in 1993 and received the European Diploma in 1995 (Wikipedia, Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve).

Highlights

• Bog boardwalks - the raised trails across the raised mire.
• The animal enclosures - bison, bear and elk at the visitor centre.
• Old forest - the undrained spruce, pine and alder swamp.
• The Berezina - the river and its floodplain.

When to go

May to September for the trails and boat trips; autumn colours the bog. Winter offers tracking and skiing with guides. Access to the core zones is by arrangement year round.

Before you go

Large mammals in the wild are almost never seen; the animals visitors meet are in enclosures. Core zone access requires a guide and booking. Mosquitoes in the bog and alder swamp are severe from May to August. Accommodation is basic reserve lodging.

Nearby

Lepel lies northwest; Minsk is south.

Key facts