LOSINY OSTROV NATIONAL PARK

Description

Essentials about the Losiny Ostrov National Park in brief

If you like to be out and about in unspoiled nature and want to escape the daily hustle and bustle of the Moscow metropolis, you should make your way to the Losiny Ostrov National Park. It is located on the northeastern edge of the Russian capital and extends far beyond the Moscow city area (where only about a third of the park’s total area is located).

The area of the Losiny Ostrov National Park

Covering a forest area of 120 square kilometers, the Losiny Ostrov National Park is also the largest contiguous forest area in Moscow. About 26 percent of the national park, mainly the part belonging to Moscow, is officially classified as a recreational area and may be entered without restrictions. On another 27 percent, only walking on specially designated trails is allowed, while the remaining 47 percent in the central part of the park is a specially strictly protected nature reserve, which may only be entered as part of a guided tour.

The forest areas of Losiny Ostrov represent practically the only remaining primeval forest areas in Moscow and closer surroundings. Even in the tsarist times this place was considered a popular hunting resort of the Moscow aristocracy. In 1799 parts of the forest area were put under nature protection and since the beginning of the 20th century there were plans to create a national park. However, they were suppressed by the October Revolution, the Civil War and a little later the Second World War. It was not until 1983 that Losiny Ostrov became a national park, making it even the first national park in Russia.

The forest areas of Losiny Ostrov National Park are essentially a mixed forest, with spruce growing mainly in the core area of the park together with linden and birch, while the eastern part of the park is dominated by pine forests. In total, Losiny Ostrov is home to about 600 plant species, a number of which are on the Russian Red List. In the area of the source of the Yausa River there are many marshes.

The fauna of the national park is also diverse, with over 40 species of mammals, although the rarest species live mainly in the protected part of the park. These include the elks that give the national park its name, as well as fallow deer, wild boars, badgers, stoats, beavers and minks. The fauna of Losiny Ostrow also includes a rich bird life with about 130 breeding and 170 migratory bird species.