Lena Delta

This landscape is typical lowland but borders mountain ranges which gives way to a diverse landscape. The Lena River, some 2,800 miles(4,500km) long, is one of the largest rivers in the world.

Ust Lenskii reserve

 

Lena pillars nature reserve

The Lena Delta Reserve is the most extensive protected wilderness area in Russia. It is an important refuge and breeding grounds for many species of Siberian wildlife.
The Lena delta area is mainly a peninsula in the Northern Polar sea and is located in the Yakut Republic. The area covers about 5,000,000 ha. It is mainly lowland, but borders the Chekanovskogo mountain range in the south-west and in the south-east the Kharaulakh mountains. Both have a maximum elevation of 500-600 m.

Climate is very harsh with an average winter temperature of - 32 to - 40oC and a summer temperature of + 2-8oC. Snow cover lasts 260 days per year.

In the Lena Delta the Ust'-Lenskii Nature Reserve was established in 1985, with an area of 1,433,000 ha.

Reindeer 

(Rangifer tarandus tarandus (sibiricus))
In Yakutiya, three populations of reindeer inhabit areas between the great rivers (Lena-Olenek, Yana-Indigirka, Indigirka-Kolyma). They spend the summer in the northern lowlands along the sea shores and migrate to the southern wintering areas in the taiga. The range of migrations is not determined in this area but neighbouring populations migrate 600-700 km2 up to a maximum of 1,000 km. The Lena – Olenek population is the smallest one. In 1950s, it was estimated at ca 18,000-20,000, in 1975 – ca 50,000, in 1990s – ca 80,000-83,000 animals.

Moose

They inhabit the more upper part of the Lena River valley. Short autumn migrations are known for moose from valleys toward slopes. Density is low with about 0.1-0.5 per 10 sq. km.

Yakut Snow sheep

(Ovis nivicola lydekkeri)
They inhabit the Kharaulakh mountains which border on the Lena Delta from south-east. They are extremely conservative in their use of home-range. Many generations use the same homerange. The population of Yakutian sheep is estimated to be about 60,000 animals. It is believed to be stable. Density is 0.8 - 2.3 per 10 sq. km.

Carnivores

Some species of predators influence ungulate populations: Wolf, Wolverine, Brown bear and Lynx, but the densities are low.

Wood Bison

(Bison bison athabascae)
A close cooperation between Canada, Alaska and Russia lead to the re-introduction of the Wood Bison. For more information about this project go to the project page Re-introducing Wood bison.

The herd of Wood bison

 

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• Hotspots for large herbivores, 2001