The Remdovsky Nature Reserve (Zakaznik)

The reserve occupies a large part of the "Pskovsko-Chudskaya lakeside lowland" Ramsar site. It was established in 1985 on the basis of the Gdov hunting reserve that existed since 1963. The area is 74.7 thousand hectares.

The territory is formed in the place of a huge geological depression formerly occupied by the Baltic glacial lake and is represented by a lacustrine terraced plain with absolute elevations of 30 to 5 meters above the sea level. The reserve is located within the subzone of the southern taiga. The woody vegetation here has lost its original appearance. Broad-leaved species (oak, linden) have survived only in some places, without affecting the composition of forest formations. Forestry of the territory is 44 percent. Wetlands constitute 45% of the area. In the lakes, small rivers, and streams there are beavers, mink, otter, muskrat, nesting waterbirds.

The reserve contributes to the preservation of various species listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Russia, such as the Black Stork, the Barnacle Goose, the White-tailed Eagle. The local population of the Osprey is the largest in the North-West of Russia.

The ichthyofauna of reserve is diverse. In the shallow waters of the Pskovsko-Chudskoye Lake valuable fish species are spawned: whitefish, pike-perch, bream and others.