Contribution to the Barents Encyclopedia
“Medium length” article on “Virgin Komi Forests” by
Lyubov A. Maksimova and Tatyana M. Khorunzhaya
Virgin Komi Forests is the name of a territory, included in the UNESCO World Natural
Heritage List. These forests are the untouched, virgin forests, situated on the territory of the
Komi Republic. The most extensive and best protected territories are located in the PechoraIlych nature reserve (721,322 hectares) and the Yugyd Va national park (1,891,701 hectares),
situated on the northern slopes of the Northern and Circumpolar Urals.
The history of the establishment of the Pechora-Ilych nature reserve is inseparably connected
with the names of Stanislav Nat and Franz Schillinger. In 1912, Stanislav Nat, a Vologda
Region Forestry Officer, who worried about the dramatic reduction of commercial animals,
was the first to suggest a wildlife reserve in the
Pechora territory “to preserve, mainly the sable and
other fur animals”. In 1929, an expedition headed
by Schillinger, an initiator of the establishment of
several nature reserves, was sent to the area. It was
funded by the People’s Commissariat of Education
and the Executive Committee of the Komi region.
The report from the expedition was approved by the
Government, and it served as a basis for the
Resolution of the Central Executive Committee and
the Council of People’s Commissars of the RSFSR,
dated May 4, 1930, on the Establishment of the
Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve in the Komi region to preserve and restore the number of
commercial animals and woodlands in order to maintain the high quality of water in the
Pechora. The nature reserve extended over 1,134.6 thousand hectares. In official documents it
is named the Pechora-Ilych nature reserve.
During the past period of more than 70 years the
area of the nature reserve has changed. Since 1959
the area has been 721,322 hectares (7,213 square
kilometers). It is situated on the western slope of the
Northern Urals and in the Urals foothills, between
the upper streams of the Pechora and its right
tributary, the river Ilych within the Pechora
lowland. The reserve covers a small part of land on
the right bank of the Pechora, where the river turns
from south-west to north-west. The highest points
within the reserve are about 1,200 meters, with the
lowest points being about 100 meters.
The reserve is one of the largest protected, unexploited woodlands in Europe. On the forest
flatland pine tree species prevail. In the mountainous district abies and spruce dominate. The
flora includes about 600 species, of which three (Minuartsija Gelma, Lady’s Slipper and
Shiverekiya Podolskaya) are included in Russia’s Red Book of endangered species. Wildgrowing berries are one of the forest treasures. Twenty plant species with edible berries grow
on the territory of the nature reserve. Bilberry, cowberry, whortleberry, cranberry and
cloudberry grow in 14% of the total area of the nature reserve.
The stone giants on the top of the Urals mountain, Man-pupunyor or Bolvano-iz, have become
the “visiting card” of the nature reserve.
The restoration of the habitation sites (re-acclimatization) of beaver, that was exterminated in
the 18th century, domestication of the moose and acclimatization of the representatives of the
the North American fauna, the muskrat and the
American mink, have become typical experiments for
the Pechora-Ilych nature reserve. About 50 species of
mammals are found in the nature reserve, among
them such animals as reindeer, wild boar, bear, wolf,
glutton, badger, marten, sable, Siberian weasel, and
chipmunk. Today’s avifauna of the nature reserve
consists of European and Siberian bird species. There
are many wood grouses, black grouses and hazelhens; in the spring large flights of ducks are observed.
Big owls (eagle-owl, tawny-owl, marsh-owl, bearded
owl and hawk owl) inhabit the reserve. White-tailed
eagle, fish hawk and golden eagle, that are all
breeding in the reserve, are included in the Red Book of Russia.
The rivers are relatively shallow and swift, which determine the originality and specific
composition of fish species (salmon, grayling, miller’s thumb fish, etc.). These species are
well-adapted to life in swift stone-bottomed rivers, which are rich in oxygen. Salmon,
inhabiting sea waters, comes to the river waters to spawn, reaching riverheads. Pechora is one
of the few rivers in Europe, where wild salmon spawns. The main spawning grounds within
the boundaries of the nature reserve and its protected area are located in the Pechora
riverhead, the Unya and the mountainous tributaries of the Ilych. The fish has to swim over
2,000 kilometers in the river in order to reach the spawning grounds. Perch, pike, ide and
roach that prefer calm, flat-land rivers can be found here. The insect fauna has not yet been
studied sufficiently well, though it is known to amount to more than several thousands of
species. The Swallowtail butterfly, which is included in the Red Book of Russia, is found up
to the mountain tops.
Well-known scientists have made investigations in the reserve, among them are such
distinguished scientists as S.S. Donaurov, V.S. Poyarkov, A.M. Leontyev, V.P. and E.N.
Teplov, P.B. Yurgenson, G.G. Shubina, E.N. Knorre, O.I. Semenov-Tyan-Shanskiy, and M.I.
Vladimirskaya. In 1973, a museum of nature was set up in the reserve. In 1985, it was
awarded the status of biosphere museum. The reserve allowed saving of one of the most
important north European virgin woodlands, without which it would be impossible to keep
both the biological diversity of the forests and to maintain environmentally sustainable forest
management. The International Moose Congress was held in the nature reserve in 1990. The
well-equipped library of the Pechora-Ilych reserve includes about 6,000 volumes, among
which can be found unique publications dating back to the 19th century.
Ecological and educational tours are organized for tourists, both on foot and by water on the
rivers Pechora, Ilych and Volosnitsa. The natural and cultural heritage includes such unique
places as the Unyinskaya cave (an archeological monument of the second millennium B.C. –
13th century A.D., the length of its explored passages is 300 meters, there are 3 cave halls);
“Chameynyi ples” (a geological monument; a Devonian and Carboniferus limestone with a
depth of 40–50 meters). A Paleolithic age site was found by archeologists in the Medvezhya
cave, situated not far from the bank of the river Pechora, 18 kilometers upstream from the
Zheshym cordon (or 90 kilometers upstream from the village Ust’-Unya) in the Verkhne-
Pechora forest reserve. The length of the cave is 450 meters. The age of the site is 17–16
thousand years. Close to the Medvezhya cave there are two other caves; Tufovaya and
Ledyanaya, the latter containing relict ice.
The Yugyd Va (Light Water) national park occupies an area of 1,891,701 hectares. It was
established by a Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation, dated April 23,
1994. It is among the largest European virgin woodlands and, in 1995, it was included in the
UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.
Geographically the nature park is partly situated within
the boundaries of the towns of Vuktyl, Inta and
Pechora. It is constituted by a sequence of highaltitude geological floors, ranging from mountainous,
piedmont zones to lowland orographic zones. The
highest peaks and mountain ridges are Narodnaya
(1,896 meters) and Karpinskogo (1,803 meters).
Among the rivers are Podcherem, Shchugor, Vangyr,
Kos’yu, and Kozhym. There are about 40 glaciers and
700 lakes. The climate is severe, continental.
Mountainous, dark coniferous taiga dominates
(Siberian spruce, mixed with abies and cedar). Very
rare plants are found in the reserve. The fauna is rich: 4 species of amphibians and reptiles,
more than 190 species of birds, about 65 species of mammals, many of which are included in
the Red Book. There are 4 functional zones in the national park: 1) zone of relative protection
– 64.4% (11 wildlife preserves, 2 natural monuments, 10 genetic reserves); 2) zone with
service to visitors – 12% (pasturing domesticated deer, water and walking tours, gathering
berries and mushrooms, felling for thinning and caring purposes); 3) zone of traditional
industry – 0.2% (working of quartz and rock crystal, etc.); 4) zone of recreational and
economic activities – 24.4%.
One of the main lines of activity of the national park is the development of eco-tourism.
Popular walking tours and skiing, both on water and on land, are offered to tourists.
Lyubov A. Maksimova and Tatyana M. Khorunzhaya
Syktyvkar State University
References and Suggestions for Further Reading
Taskayev, A.I. (2005). Уникальная территория Урала [The Unique Territory of the Urals].
Девственные леса Коми. Памятник Всемирного культурного и природного
наследия ЮНЕСКО [The Komi Virgin Forests. Monument of World Cultural and
Natural Heritage of IONESCO]. Moscow: Feoria.
Gladkov, V. (2000). «Югыд ва» [Yugyd va]. In Энциклопедия республика Коми [The
Encyclopedia of the Komi Republic]. Vol. 3. Syktyvkar.
Neufeld, N. (2005). Печоро-Илычский заповедник. Каменные символы Северного Урала
[The Pechora-Ilych nature reserve. Stone symbols of the Northern Urals]. Syktyvkar:
Komi regional publishing house.
Satsyuk, A.A. and M.V. Kozhukhov (2000). Лосеферма Печоро-Илычского заповедника
[Moose-breeding farm of the Pechora-Ilych nature reserve]. Syktyvkar: Komi regional
publishing house.
Maksimova, L.A. (Year?). ГУЛАГ и отношение к природе; на примере Республики Коми
[GULAG and its attitude to wildlife; on the example of Komi Republic]. In Финноугорский мир: состояние природы и региональная стратегия защиты
окружающей среды: Материалы Международной конференции [The Finno-ugrian
world: environmental situation and regional strategies for nature protection:
Proceedings from an international conference]. Syktyvkar, pp. 75–87.
Anufriyev, V.M., Ed. (2000). Земля девственных лесов [The Land of Virgin Forests].
Syktyvkar.
Девственные леса Коми. [Komi Virgin Forests]. The Worlds.ru website at:
http://www.worlds.ru/europe/russia/history-devstvennye_lesa_komi.shtml
Национальный парк «Югыд ва» [The Yugyd va National Park]. The website of Greenpeace
Russia at:
http://www.greenpeace.org/russia/ru/campaigns/90164/2909974/2922748/2923058
Национальный парк «Югыд ва» [The Yugyd va National Park]. Website of the Yugyd va
national park at URL: http://www.yugydva.komi.com