Russia

Asia

634

Documented species

21

Parks and reserves

2

Dive sites

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Russia is the largest country in the world and holds a decisive share of the northern hemisphere's ecosystems: around a fifth of all the forests on the planet, the largest continuous expanse of taiga, immense Arctic tundra and peatlands such as those of western Siberia, the most extensive that exist. Lake Baikal, the deepest and oldest on Earth, holds close to a fifth of the planet's unfrozen liquid fresh water and a fauna that evolved in isolation for millions of years. Kamchatka concentrates active volcanoes, salmon rivers and one of the highest brown bear densities in the world, alongside the Steller's sea eagle. In the far southeast, the temperate taiga of Ussuri is the last refuge of the Siberian tiger and the Amur leopard. Wrangel Island, in the Arctic, is the greatest polar bear nursery in the world.

The nature of Russia

National animal: The brown bear is the de facto national animal; the double-headed eagle is the emblem of the state

Did you know?

The Baikal seal is the only seal on the planet that lives exclusively in fresh water. Its ancestors arrived from the Arctic some two million years ago, probably by working their way up rivers, and were left stranded more than three thousand kilometres from the nearest sea. It has adapted so completely to its lake that it can dive for more than twenty minutes and spends the winter under the ice, keeping breathing holes open by scraping them with its claws.

Biodiversity profile

Europa del Este / Asia (pais transcontinental, mayor territorio del mundo)Mas de 12.000 areas protegidas cubren 2 millones de km2; las areas federales (101 zapovedniks de reserva estricta, 40 parques nacionales, 69 santuarios federales) cubren 540.000 km2 (aprox. 3% del pais); en total, 11,4% del territorio terrestre y de aguas interiores y 2,23% del area marina estan protegidos

Climate

  • •Continental subartico (Dfc/Dfd) en la mayor parte de Siberia
  • •Continental humedo (Dfb) en la Rusia europea
  • •Tundra (ET) en el extremo norte artico
  • •Clima subtropical humedo en pequeños enclaves del sur (Sochi, costa del Mar Negro)

Main biomes

  • •Taiga siberiana (mayor bosque continuo del planeta, mas extenso que la selva amazonica)
  • •Tundra artica (norte)
  • •Estepa euroasiatica (sur de la Rusia europea y Siberia occidental)
  • •Bosque mixto de la llanura europea (oeste)
  • •Taiga boreal
  • •Estepa continental
  • •Lago antiguo
  • •Volcán activo
  • •Bosque templado de Ussuri
  • •Banquisa polar

Marine and coastal ecosystems

  • •Costas del Artico, el Pacifico, el Baltico, el Mar Negro y el Mar Caspio, con ecosistemas marinos de gran diversidad regional (colonias de aves en el Mar de Ojotsk, focas del Baltico y el Artico)

Flagship wildlife

Notable endemic species

  • •Especies endemicas de la taiga siberiana noreste incluyen Draba majae, Magadania olaensis y Taraxacum kolymense, entre otras plantas de distribucion muy restringida
  • •Lemming del Amur, endemico de la region del taiga de Ojotsk-Manchuria
  • •Foca del Baikal
  • •Golomianka del Baikal
  • •Ganso de Ross del Ártico ruso
  • •Antílope saiga de Kalmukia

Notable threatened species

  • •Grulla siberiana (En Peligro Critico)
  • •Tigre de Amur (En Peligro, poblacion en recuperacion parcial en el extremo oriente ruso)
  • •Perdida de 640.000 km2 de cobertura arborea en las ultimas dos decadas (8,4% de reduccion), equivalente al 17% de la deforestacion global

Notable protected areas

  • •Zapovedniks de reserva estricta (101 en total, la figura de proteccion mas rigurosa de Rusia)
  • •Reservas del extremo oriente ruso (habitat del tigre de Amur)
  • •Reserva del Lago Baikal
  • •Parque Natural de los Volcanes de Kamchatka
  • •Reserva de la Isla de Wrangel
  • •Parque Nacional de la Tierra del Leopardo
  • •Reserva de Sijoté-Alín
  • •Reserva de Kronotsky

Main conservation threats

  • •Deforestacion acelerada (17% de la perdida forestal global reciente ocurre en Rusia)
  • •Contaminacion y tala ilegal
  • •Recortes de financiamiento y sanciones internacionales tras la invasion de Ucrania, que han dificultado el progreso de los planes de conservacion segun evaluaciones recientes

Notable natural phenomena

  • •Rusia alberga los mayores sistemas de humedales del mundo (1,8 millones de km2 de turberas y marismas) y una masa forestal (7,76 millones de km2) mayor que la selva amazonica completa

Conservation

The Amur leopard is one of the rarest big cats in the world and has gone from a few dozen animals to a little over a hundred thanks to the Land of the Leopard park. The saiga antelope, after a catastrophic crash, is recovering on the steppes of the southwest.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Kamchatka between July and September for brown bears fishing salmon. Baikal in winter for the transparent ice and in summer for seals on the islets. Ussuri in winter to track Siberian tiger.

Rusia es un pais transcontinental cuya porcion asiatica (Siberia) representa la mayor parte de su territorio y biodiversidad; esta ficha cubre el pais en su conjunto dado que fue procesado dentro del bloque de paises de Europa del Este del proyecto.

Sources: BioDB.com - Russia | One Earth - Northeast Siberian Taiga | One Earth - Scandinavian and Russian Taiga | Wikipedia - West Siberian taiga

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