Black Sea Biosphere Reserve

The Black Sea Biosphere Reserve is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea and the islands in the Tendrovsky and Yagorlytsky bays of the Black Sea . The reserve is one of the largest in Ukraine. The reserve territory consists of several sections that represent different landscapes of the coastal south of Ukraine. The main goal of the reserve is to protect wintering nesting and migratory birds, as well as unique complexes of sandy arenas and desert steppes. It includes separate isolated areas of salt and sand steppes , oak, birch, aspen and black alder groves, spits, saline and fresh lakes, and water areas of bays. The Smoleny , Orlov , Babiy sea ​​islands included in the reserve are the largest nesting sites for the black-headed gull in the world.

The current area of ​​the reserve is 100 thousand hectares, of which 77 thousand 900 hectares are the water area of ​​the Tendrovsky and Yagorlytsky bays, as well as a kilometer strip of the open sea, 14 thousand 148 hectares are the land part.

The climate is warm, but, despite the seaside position, continental and dry. It is characterized by relatively low humidity, low cloud cover, low rainfall and a relatively large daily and annual amplitude of fluctuations in air temperature. The average annual temperature is 10.8 ° C.

In the reserve there are 446 species of vertebrate animals, more than 3000 species of invertebrates , 728 species of plants. Of these, 14 species of mammals , 57 species of birds , 37 species of insects , 41 species of plants are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine and the European Red List .

The reserve was created to protect wintering, migratory and nesting birds and their habitat. Gulls , terns , waders ^[2] , ducks , cowgirls , and ankles are numerous on nesting. In the bays - a place of mass wintering of swans ( whooper and mute swan ), ducks, waders, cowgirls. There are many geese (especially the white-fronted ), sandpipers, passerines and other birds on the fly. In the forest-steppe areas, small and rare species, such as the Great Bustard , white-tailed eagle , are found at nesting sites, and strepto is irregular. The sika deer introduced in Askania-Nova in 1957 was well acclimatized. The waters are inhabited by mullet , glossa (a subspecies of river flounder ), and gobies .

In 2004, a healing geyser was opened in the area near the village of Bekhtera . The depth of the source is 1572 m. The temperature is 65 ° C all year round. Subsequently, on the basis of a spring pounding from underground, a pool was built for taking healing baths (the temperature there is only 45-50 ° C). A beneficial effect of the source on the musculoskeletal system, thyroid gland, nervous system and respiratory tract was found.

The Black Sea Reserve was created in 1927 to protect wintering, migratory and nesting birds and their habitat.

It became an independent environmental and research institution in 1933.

In 1984, the reserve receives biosphere status.

In 2006, by the decision of the Kherson Regional Council, the reserve territory was expanded by almost 21 thousand hectares.

Used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

• Black Sea Biosphere Reserve (Ukrainian)