National Reserves of Belarus
With endless oak forests and over 11,000 lakes, Belarus is a paradise for naturalists. There are five National Parks in Belarus, protected by the State. Their work has been recognized and supported by UNESCO.
The Belavezhskaya Pushcha park is in Brest region, 340km to the south-west of Minsk. There are records of reserve work in the locality dating back centuries. UNESCO granted the park World Heritage Site status in 1992, and Biosphere Reserve status in 1993.
The Belavezhskaya Pushcha park is home to many ancient oak trees dating back more than 500 years, as well as ash, pine and fir trees.There are also significant animal and bird populations here, including the world’s largest population of the rare European bison and the greater spotted eagle.
This park lies in Vitebsk region of Belarus and was set up in 1925 to protect rare animal species in the north of the country. The reserve is made up of forests, bogs, reservoirs and meadows. More than half of the known species of Belarusian flora can be found here.
This park was established in 1995 among the beautiful lakes of Vitebsk region in the north-west of Belarus.
The Narachansky National Park, in Minsk region of Belarus was established in 1999.
It’s home to the majority of the country’s pine trees.
The park is a recreational reserve, popular with its large, well-stocked lakes. It’s also famous for its natural springs.
Pripyatsky National Park
This park lies in Gomel region in the south of the country and has fantastic wildlife. There are more than 800 plant species, 50 animal species and more than 200 species of birds in the park. The oak forests, beautiful waterways, hard-to-see European birds like woodpeckers, owls, black storks, grey cranes.
Rare species of animals and plants are listed in the Red Book of Belarus
The Red Book of Belarus is a list of plant and animal species threatened with complete extinction or such a treat may arise as a result of systematic extermination of their representatives. Collecting plants and hunting for representives of fauna, which are listed there, is strictly prohibited.
The Red Book of the Republic of Belarus includes not only species which are in danger of extinction. It also contains a "black list" - a list of those representatives of flora and fauna that are no longer found in Belarus.
The animals in The Red Book of Belarus are not limited to the well-known aurochs, which people come to see in Belavezhskaya Pushcha and other national parks of Belarus.
Even the animals that seem to be not so rare are under threat...
lynx
brown bear
badger
short-eared owl
black stork
ferret
European mink
black kite