Virtual natural guide
Pskov region
Virtual natural guide
Target of project:
The virtual guide was prepared by NGO "Lake Peipsi Project, Pskov” in the framework of the eco-educational project "Your Land", supported by the Presidential Grants Fund. The main goal of the guide is to promote specially protected nature areas of the Pskov region, those were established to preserve unique regional ecosystems. The website contains descriptions, photographs and 3D panoramas of the most important protected areas of the region, including Ramsar site "Pskovsko-Chudskaya Lakeside Lowland", the State Nature Reserve "Polistovsky", the National Park "Sebezhsky", the State Zoological Reserve of federal importnace "Remdovsky", nature monuments of regional importance: the "Izborsko-Malskaya Valley", the "West coast of Pskov Lake", the "Belov’s Island", the "Snetogorsko-Murovitsky ", the "Canyon-shaped Section of the Valley of the Velikaya River" and others.
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Specially protected natural areas of the Pskov region
The network of specially protected nature areas (PNA) of the Pskov region embraces 42 nature objects and territories, their area is more than 7% of the total area of the region. The network of PNAs includes a wetland of international importance "Pskovsko-Chudskaya lakeside lowland", three federal protected areas (the Sebezhsky National Park, the Polistovsky State Nature Reserve, and the Remdovsky State Nature Reserve), 11 state nature zoological reserves of regional importance, 15 nature monuments of regional importance, 2 health resorts of regional importance (the sanatoriums "Cherekha" and "Blue Lakes") and 10 PNAs of local importance.
All these natural territories are unique, irreplaceable and are subject to protect in their natural status.
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The Ramsar site of International Importance "Pskovsko-Chudskaya Lowland"
The wetland of international importance. Formed in 1994 in accordance with the principles and criteria of the Ramsar Convention for the study and preservation of unique natural complexes in the area of the Pskovsko-Chudskoye (Peipsi) Lake. It includes a lakeside lowland, coastal water areas along the eastern shore of the Pskov Lake, the Velikaya River Delta with 40 semi-submerged islands, and borders Estonia. The total area is 92.4 thousand hectares, including 22.2 thousand hectares of water area of the Pskovsko-Chudskoye Lake.
The Polistovsky Nature Reserve
The reserve was founded in 1994 and occupies almost a quarter of the largest in Europe Polistovo-Lovatskaya system of upland bogs.
The basis for the creation of the reserve was the results of scientific researches, started back in 1909, completely changing the attitude to the bogs as useless pieces of land. The upland bogs of the Polistovo-Lovatskaya system are a powerful regulator of the climate in the North-West of Russia, a stabilizer of water level in rivers, the largest freshwater filter in Europe, it counteracts the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (preventing global climate change), contributes to the conservation of Europe's biological diversity and populations of rare species, especially birds. 15% of nesting birds in the reserve are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
The Sebezhsky National Park
The National Park was created by a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation in January 1996. The area is 50021 hectares. The goal is to preserve natural complexes and objects that have a special ecological, historical and aesthetic value, and create conditions for the development of organized recreation. In the south, the reserve has a common border with Belarus, in the west - with Latvia. In the territory of the park there are 49 settlements, including the city of Sebezh.
Specially protected natural areas of regional importance
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The Sudoma Mountain
The nature monument is located in the territory of Dedovichi district, 29 km south-west of the district center, to the west of the Podsudomskoye Lake. The area is 615 hectares.
It has the highest mark of the Sudoma Upland (293 m above the sea level). Above the lowlands, the mountain rises up to 120 meters.
The Western shore of the Pskov Lake
The nature monument is located on the western shore of the Pskov Lake from the mouth of the Obdekh River to the State Border of the Russian Federation with the Republic of Estonia (including the Kolpino, Kolomtsy, and Kamenka islands) in the Krupp and Kulejskaya volosts of the Pechora District. A unique, irreplaceable, valuable in ecological, scientific, cultural and aesthetic relations natural-landscape complex.
Isborsko-Malskaya Valley
The nature monument is located 15 kilometers southeast of the city of Pechory within the boundaries of the municipal area "Pechory", "Izborskaya volost", "Novoizborskaya volost" of the Pechory district and extends from Lake Chernoye through the village of Stary Izborsk along the valley formed by the rivers Smolka, Skhodnitsa, Obdekh, together with the Gorodishchenskoye and Malskoye lakes in the north-west direction to the village of Maly and the village of Vashina Gora. In a relatively small area of the valley there is a large number of different terrain complexes: erosion, landslide, karst, glacial and postglacial. Outcrops of Devonian bedrocks form a number of unique geological objects.
The Canyon-like Section of the Valley of the Velikaya River
The nature monument is located on the territory of the Novousitovskaya volost of the Palkinsky district and of the Berezhanskaya volost of the Ostrovsky district in 15 kilometers southeast of the village of Palkino.
A unique, irreplaceable, valuable in ecological, scientific, cultural and aesthetic relations natural-landscape complex.
The Gorodnovskoye Lake
The nature monument is located within the boundaries of the municipal area "Dubrovskaya volost" of the Dedovichi district. A unique, irreplaceable, distinctive, hilly-morainic landscape, a habitat for waterfowl and waterbirds with a rich and unique vegetation, which has a scientific and aesthetic value. The floral complex of the nature monument "Lake Gorodnovskoye" is formed by water, coastal-water, and meadow and forest higher plants growing within the protected zone.
The Belov’s Island
The nature monument is located 23 km northwest of Pskov City and 6 km west of the mouth of the Tolba River on the territory of the Talab Islands (the island of Nizhny, the island of Talabsk, the island of Verkhny) of the Pskov Lake, which make up the inter-settlement territory of the Pskov district. The Belov’s island is largest of the three islands of the Talab archipelago.
The Lokno Lake
The nature monument is located within the boundaries of the municipal area "Pozherevitskaya volost" in the Dedovichi district. A unique, irreplaceable, distinctive, hilly-morainic landscape, a habitat for waterfowl and waterbirds with a rich and unique vegetation, which has a scientific and aesthetic value.
The floristic complex of the nature monument "Lake Lokno" is formed by water, coastal-water, and meadow and forest higher plants growing within the protected zone. It includes 303 species belonging to 184 genera and 70 families. Among the terrestrial vertebral species the most interesting area such as the Great Bittern and the Gray Heron.
The Naverezhskoye Lake
The nature monument is located within the boundaries of the municipal area "Sorokinskaya volost" of the Dedovichi district. A unique, irreplaceable, distinctive, hilly-morainic landscape, a habitat for waterfowl and waterbirds with a rich and unique vegetation, which has a scientific and aesthetic value.
The Polisto Lake
The nature monument is located in the territory of the municipal areas "Polistovskoye" and "Dobryvichskaya volost" (Bezhanitsky district) in 40 km northeast of the village Bezhanitsy, 15 km to the north of the village Tsevlo.
A unique, irreplaceable, valuable in ecological, scientific, cultural and aesthetic relations natural-landscape complex. Lake Polisto is very shallow, with a maximum depth of 4.5 m and an average depth of 3 m. The bottom is sandy-silt, along the shore there area stretches of reeds in width of 500 m and more. Among the numerous water bodies of the Pskov regionthe lake takes the fourth place in size (an area of 3160 hectares). It is the largest water body of Europe's largest Polistovo-Lovatskaya wetland system, which has international environmental importance in accordance with the "Telma" programme (UNESCO).
The Sevo Lake
The nature monument is located within the boundaries of the municipal area "Sorokinskaya volost" of the Dedovichi district. A unique, irreplaceable, distinctive, hilly-morainic landscape, a habitat for waterfowl and waterbirds with a rich and unique vegetation, which has a scientific and aesthetic value.
The Uzkoye lake
The nature monument is located within the boundaries of the municipal area "Pozherivitskaya volost" in the Dedovichi district.
A unique, irreplaceable, distinctive, hilly-morainic landscape, a habitat for waterfowl and waterbirds with a rich and unique vegetation, which has a scientific and aesthetic value.
The Semsky Island
The nature monument is located on the territory of the island of Semsky in the Pskov Lake waters, 7 km along the waterway from the village of Krupp, Pechora district, which is the administrative center of the municipal area "Kruppskaya volost". It is a unique, irreplaceable, distinctive landscape complex, a part of the ecosystem of the Pskovsko-Chudskoye (Peipsi) Lake, a habitat for waterfowl and waterbirds with a rich and unique vegetation that has a scientific, aesthetic, historical value and needs special protection.
Snetogorsko-Murovitsky
The nature monument is located on the right bank of the Velikaya River from the village of Snyatnaya Gora to the village of Murovitsy and consists of two cluster sites. The first cluster site (Snetogorsky) is located on the lands of the city of Pskov and the village of Snyatnaya Gora. The second cluster site (Hotitsko-Murovitsky) is located in the Piskovichi Volost of the Pskov district. It is a unique landscape complex of the mouth of the right bank of the Velikaya River with open geological outcrops, ancient beams and outcrops of underground waters, rich and peculiar vegetation. On the bottom of the beams there are streams formed by outlets to the surface of the underground waters. These beams are interesting geomorphological objects, and, in addition, they have created favorable conditions for the growth of plants unique to the region.
The Sorokovoi Forest
The nature monument is located 36 km south of the city of Gdov, 5 km west of the village of Yamm and the Pskov-Gdov road, on the left bank of the Zhelcha river, within the boundaries of the municipal area "Samolvovskaya volost" in Gdov district. A unique, irreplaceable, valuable in ecological, scientific, cultural and aesthetic relations natural-landscape complex.