Another six protected nature reserves planned in Tatarstan

Tatarstan plans to create another six protected nature areas. Chairman of the republic’s State Committee for Biological Resources Fyodor Batkov said this at a briefing of the region’s Cabinet of Ministers.

“The creation of protected areas will allow conserving natural complexes,” he said.

A natural complex near Shifa spring in Menzelinsk District, Tatarstan, is to be created to conserve natural complexes, including an area of broadleaved forests, plants and animals on the republic’s Red List. Groundhog Colony nature area is planned to be created in Aznakayevo District.

Seagull Colony will appear in Alexeyevsk and Rybnaya Sloboda District in Tatarstan to save colonies of Caspian gulls that appeared as their permanent nesting site during the construction of a bridge through the Kama River and their habitat. Big White Ardea Nesting Place to be created in Chistopol District, Mokrye Kurnali and another swamp in Apastovo District.

Nowadays protected nature areas in Tatarstan account for 465,000 ha, or 7% of the total area of the republic. The territory of the region has two federal protected nature areas and 149 natural landmarks.

As Fyodor Batkov said, there have been created 13 new nature reserves in the last five years. So their area has increased by 20%, or 95,000 hectares.