Plants and animals of Siberia listed in the Red Book

Siberia is often called the soul of Russia, because it is just as big and generous. Here is a wide variety of the world of flora, fauna and minerals that a person has enjoyed with pleasure for a long time without thinking about how such exorbitant appetites influence mother nature. Environmentalists constantly draw public attention to the disappearance of animal species on the whole planet.

The severe environmental situation throughout the world, uncontrolled production, barbarous mining, deforestation and the development of new territories have meant that one species disappears on the planet every day. Unfortunately, the Siberian region, which has always been famous for its inexhaustible riches, was no exception. The mere existence of the Red Book section, dedicated to rare animals, indicates that many species no longer exist, while others are on the verge of extinction. In this article we will consider which plants and animals of the Red Book of Siberia need protection.

Plants

The vast expanses of Siberia stretch in different climatic zones. The plant world has a huge variety: from lichens and moss, covering the swampy terrain, to the huge coniferous forests of the taiga. But, despite such a variety, some species of plants disappear and are already listed in the Red Book. For example, ginseng or hydrangea petiolate until recently was not uncommon.

To the windmill of forest botany, and earlier treated with a special trembling, because this representative of the family of buttercup blooms once in ten years, and now it is almost impossible to find. Not everyone will be able to see the gentle-lilac flowers of a wolf lyke. This representative of berry fruits is very rare in the forests of Western and Central Siberia.

Just recently, the snow-white snowdrop and the large-flower slipper were pleasing to the eye. Now, both plants are on the brink of extinction because of their beautiful flowers.

Fish

Many Siberian animals listed in the Red Book have been exterminated by poaching. On its pages there are nineteen species of mammals, seventy-four species of birds, let alone fish. Siberian sturgeon and sterlet, which abounded with Siberian rivers, turned into endangered species, and peled, carp and carp have now become a special success for the fisherman.

Birds

It is impossible to imagine the vast expanses of the Siberian plain without the huge kingdom of birds that inhabit it. Ornithologists number about three hundred species of birds that choose a generous edge for their nesting.

Siberia has become a real Mecca for these scientists: the rarest species of the planet flies here, still leaving in the bewilderment of connoisseurs. It would seem that the harsh nature of the region is not the best place for nesting. Nevertheless, birds travel thousands of kilometers to return to their homes. There are many versions of why this happens. According to one of them, this behavior of birds is explained by genetic memory about the time when Siberia was a warm and ever-flowering place. Birds arrange their nests at times in the most amazing and seemingly unsuitable places. So, for example, stove-dancers adapted to life in the mink of gophers, and the remez builds its elongated nests at the very ends of branches in inaccessible places above the surface of reservoirs. Coast swallows can be called real builders: they build their homes on steep river cliffs, tearing their holes up to a meter long.

But the goat does not care about building a nest and lays eggs right on the ground. You will not refuse the originality of the brown-headed eyes: as a home for their chicks, they choose rotten tree stumps in which they hollow out a hollow. Unfortunately, many birds and animals of Siberia are on the verge of extinction, especially predators, whose populations have always been few in number. One of the largest owls of the planet, the bearded owl is listed in the Red Book. Other birds of prey, such as peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon or saker, also need protection.

Animals of Siberia

Speaking about the animal kingdom of Siberia, it is difficult not to mention the diversity of fur-bearing animals that this region is rich in: fox, Arctic fox, raccoon, ermine, beaver, sable, mink, weasel, nutria, muskrat, otter and others.

These animals have always been a pride of the hunting grounds of the state. Reserves, sanctuaries, hunting farms and farms for breeding a fur animal try to preserve a fragile natural balance.

Poaching has become a real scourge, and now many Siberian fur-bearing animals listed in the Red Book require protection. Such beasts, for example, include the Tuva beaver and Barguzin sable. Now these animals restore their population in the reserves. Hunting farms are also monitoring predator populations, for example, excessive growth of wolves can also become a threat to small protected animals.

And what other animals live in Siberia? After this question, people immediately remember the brown bear, wolf, lynx, wolverine, wapiti, deer, moose, wild boar, snow sheep, roe deer, maral, musk deer, Baikal seal, beaver, hare and squirrel. Do not forget about smaller, but no less interesting animals. Well all are familiar moles, gophers and mouse-voles, which can often be found next to the dwellings of people. Seldom come across to people to people high-mountainous Siberian voles, a long-tailed ground squirrel, a lemming.

And what are the animals of the Red Book of Siberia? On the pages of her you can see a tiny shrew and a rare Daurian hedgehog. The number of these mammals is extremely small.

Where do representatives of endangered species survive?

The protection of flora and fauna has been and remains one of the most serious tasks posed to humanity, which has been thoughtlessly and wastefully for the environment for many centuries. Mastering all new territories and natural resources, people displace animals from habitual habitats, thereby exposing some species of danger of complete extinction.

A huge role in preserving the nature of Siberia is played by reserves and national parks. The Republic of Buryatia has three reserves and two national parks. You can not talk about the nature of the Siberian region without mentioning Lake Baikal with its clear waters, located in Eastern Siberia. Rare representatives of the fauna inhabiting its shores and surroundings prompted the authorities of the Russian Empire to organize the Barguzinsky Reserve back in 1916. Thirty-nine species of mammals, four reptiles, two amphibians and two hundred and sixty species of birds are represented on its territory. The reserve is part of the complex of the biosphere polygon of Lake Baikal and is part of the World Natural Heritage. On the south coast of the lake there is another reserve, created in 1969 and named Baikal. It also inhabits the animals of Siberia. There you can see 49 species of mammals, three reptiles, two amphibians and 272 species of birds.

Jerginsky nature reserve

In 1992, the Djerginsky Reserve, located in the north of the Republic of Buryatia, began its work. Efforts of its employees and scientists carried out a huge work, as a result of which forty-three species of mammals, one hundred and eighty-four species of birds, four reptiles, three amphibians were identified. Work on conservation is conducted in the national parks Zabaikalsky, Tunkinsky, Pribaikalsky, Shorskiy, Alkhanay.

Animals of Western Siberia

What other animals in western Siberia are threatened with extinction? Now we'll find out.

The cold climate of these places is easily tolerated and predators with expensive fur - arctic fox. There are fifty-seven thousand holes in the vast expanses of the tundra, where fluffy predators have settled down. Arctic fox is a game beast, therefore hunting farms are very attentive to its livestock. Skins of this animal are used not only for the domestic market, but also account for seventy-five percent of all fur exports.

Other animals that live a little to the south

To the south there are such animals of Siberia as ermine, weasel and even wolverine, who like to visit often to residential villages to eat poultry. Previously, Western reindeer herds wandered about in huge herds, now their numbers have declined very much and amount to only twenty-five thousand individuals. Sable, which is also a game beast, inhabits coniferous and mixed forests. Its extraction is a serious economic component in the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug and Tomsk Oblast. Therefore, illegal fishing for sables and other animals with valuable fur is punishable by law.

Conclusion

Here you have become aware of the plants and animals of Siberia. The richness of this region must be preserved, and not only endangered species need protection. Poachers and poor environmental conditions are a serious threat, but even worse are the indifference of people who are quietly looking at how bears are being destroyed for fun, and sturgeons are caught in tons right on the spawning grounds, not allowing nature to recover.