Virgin Komi Forests

The Virgin Komi Forests were the first natural site in Russia inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, in 1995, covering about thirty-three thousand square kilometres of the Pechoro-Ilychsky nature reserve and Yugyd Va national park on the western slope of the northern Urals - the largest tract of primary boreal forest left in Europe, spruce, fir, pine, larch and birch that has never been logged, with bog, tundra above the tree line and the rivers running west into the Pechora. It holds brown bear, wolverine, sable, elk, reindeer and a substantial bird list, and the reserve runs a moose domestication farm that has operated since 1949. Manpupuner is inside it. Its listing has not made it secure: gold mining inside the boundaries has been repeatedly proposed and fought over, and boundary changes have been attempted, which UNESCO has flagged. Access needs permits and is by river, helicopter or long trek.

Background

The site lies in the Northern Urals of the Komi Republic, in the north-east of European Russia, and at 32,800 km² it is the largest virgin forest in Europe, with tundra, alpine tundra and boreal forest on the western side of the range. Siberian spruce, fir and larch dominate, with aspen and birch, and reindeer, sable, European mink and mountain hare live here, with birds such as the capercaillie and the Siberian jay. The forests have been watched and studied for more than fifty years, and their peat bogs, rivers and lakes store carbon and keep the waters of the region in balance. The listing of 1995 covers the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve, set up in 1930, and the Yugyd Va National Park, created in 1994.

Source: Wikipedia, "Virgin Komi Forests"

What's there

• The primary forest - the largest never-logged boreal tract in Europe.
• The 1995 listing - Russia's first UNESCO natural World Heritage site.
• The moose farm - a domestication project running at the reserve since 1949.
• The pressure - mining proposals and boundary changes flagged by UNESCO.

When to go

July to September. A week or more given the travel. Permits from the reserve or park administration must be arranged in advance.

Before you go

Permits are compulsory and take time to obtain. There is no casual access - everything is river, helicopter or multi-day trek. Bears are present and food discipline matters. Mosquitoes and blackfly in July are extreme. No rescue infrastructure.

Nearby

Manpupuner is inside the reserve; Yugyd Va is the northern half of the site.

Key facts