From the foregoing, it becomes quite clear that the Vasyugan swamp massif is not only unique natural phenomenon of Western Siberia, but also acts as such for Russia and the world. The geo-ecological functions performed by it are irreplaceable and irreplaceable, therefore the only way to preserve this natural heritage can be the creation of a biosphere reserve within its boundaries. Given the high cost of implementing such a project, its solution is possible at least in stages: at the first stage, these are various kinds of economic restrictions, at the second stage, the creation of the Vasyugan reserve is possible, and, finally, its transformation into a biosphere reserve.

Western Siberia is a vast region bounded on the west by the steep ledges of the Ural Range, and on the east by the slopes of the Central Siberian Plateau. From north to south, it extends from the coast of the Kara Sea to the Turgai Tableland and Altai inclusive. Orographically, it is divided into two sharply different parts: the vast West Siberian lowland, covering about 85% of its territory, and the Altai mountainous country, which occupies a relatively small southeastern corner.

The West Siberian Lowland is one of the greatest lowlands in the world. It is a vast, heavily swampy plain, with absolute heights of 80-120 m, slightly inclined to the north. The Ob River, crossing the entire lowland in the direction from south to north - from Novosibirsk to the mouth (for about 3000 km) - has a drop of only 94 m, or an average of a little more than 3 cm per 1 km. The appearance of the plain is explained by the geological history of the West Siberian lowland, which until the end of the Tertiary period was the bottom of the sea, as a result of which it turned out to be filled and leveled by a thick layer of marine sediments. The bedrock crystalline rocks were deeply buried under the later deposits; they rise close to the surface only along the periphery of the lowland.

The West Siberian lowland is characterized by high swampiness, where swamps occupy up to 70% of its surface. The famous Vasyugan swamps (53 thousand km 2) are located here. The formation of swamps in this area is associated with stagnation and poor conditions for the flow of surface water. A characteristic feature of the West Siberian Lowland is the weak swampiness of the river valleys, which stand out on the map as relatively dry stripes among the heavily swampy interfluve spaces. This seemingly unusual phenomenon is explained by the history of the formation of the relief and river valleys of Western Siberia, which was relatively recently (in the geological sense) the bottom of the sea. After the departure of the sea, the surface of the plain was subjected to intensive swamping, and with a subsequent decrease in the base of erosion, the river valleys had a draining effect only on a narrow adjacent strip.

The swamps of Western Siberia are a colossal reservoir of water. The average swampiness of the plain is about 30%, in the swampy zone it is 50%, and in some areas (Surgut Polesye, Vasyuganye, Kondinskaya lowland) it reaches 70-80%. A combination of many factors contributes to the widespread development of swamp formation, the main of which are the flatness of the territory and its tectonic regime with a steady tendency to sink in the northern and central regions, poor drainage of the territory, excessive moisture, prolonged spring-summer floods on rivers, combined with the formation of backwater for tributaries. with an increase in the level of the Ob, Irtysh and Yenisei, the presence of permafrost.

According to the peat fund, the total area of ​​peat bogs in Western Siberia is 400 thousand km 2, and taking into account all other types of waterlogging, from 780 thousand to 1 million km 2. The total peat reserves are estimated at 90 billion tons in the air-dry state. It is known that bog peat contains 94% water.

More recently, the list of protected areas in Russia has been replenished with another reserve - the Great Vasyugan Swamp. One of the seven natural wonders of the Tomsk region...

By Masterweb

More recently, the list of protected areas in Russia has been replenished with another reserve - the Great Vasyugan Swamp. One of the seven natural wonders of the Tomsk region and a semi-finalist of the all-Russian competition "Seven Wonders of Russia" has finally received its long-awaited status. The Vasyugan swamps in the Novosibirsk region, which have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2007, have become recognized by state bodies in our country.

In the areas of three regions

The Great Vasyugan Swamp, with an area of ​​more than 5 million hectares, is located in the center of Western Siberia in the border areas of three regions (Tomsk, Novosibirsk and Omsk) and the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug. This swamp occupied 0.03% of the area of ​​Russia and occupies the entire northern interfluve of the Ob and Irtysh. This is the second largest swamp in the world after the Pantanal Marshes (South America). Within the boundaries of the Vasyugan swamps there are 800 thousand lakes, many rivers originate, and the amount of peat is 2% of all world reserves (1 billion tons). And in the middle of the last century, large oil reserves were also discovered here, which today are produced at several fields.

Settlement history

These places do not indulge in human settlements. Historical data about the first settlers appear in 1882. Then the Russian Geographical Society received information about 726 schismatic settlers who had thoroughly settled in these places. After Stolypin's reforms, about 300 thousand settlers settled here. Then these places were called the Vasyugan Sea after the name of the Vasyugan River. Later, these places became a favorite place of exile for prisoners of both imperial and Soviet Russia. An interesting fact: for the city of Tomsk, these swamps are the same symbol as for Kamchatka, Klyuchevskaya Sopka.

Narym Territory

“God created paradise, and the devil created the Narym Territory” - this is how an ancient proverb says about these places, covered with legends about evil spirits, and being a place of exile for Russian prisoners. Local legend tells that at the beginning of creation there was no land, and God walked on water. And then he ordered the devil to be brought from the bottom of the earth. He brought it, but hid part of the earth in his mouth. So God created the land, and the land that the Devil spat out formed the Vasyugan swamps.

But the Vasyugan swamps are not just aggressive swamps, but a phenomenon unique in the composition of natural complexes. There are complex landscape structures and special types of marsh massifs. In this natural zone, taiga and small-leaved forest, autotrophic and pine-sphagnum bogs come into contact, making the composition of plants of the Vasyugan bogs unique. This is the land of untouched corners of nature, which is of great ecological importance for the entire planet.

Planet air conditioners

If the Amazon rainforest is the lungs of the planet, then these swamps are the natural sinks of carbon dioxide and the coolers of the planet. The absorption of carbon and toxic substances by peat, which lies at a depth of about 2.5 meters in the Vasyugan swamps, prevents the development of the greenhouse effect. These areas accumulate up to 10 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, and release up to 4 million tons of oxygen.

In addition, the Vasyugan swamps are the world's fresh water storage. According to some estimates, it contains about 400 square kilometers.

Geological history

These swamps arose in the last postglacial period - the Holocene - more than 10 thousand years ago. Separate wetlands then merged, forming an array with an area of ​​\u200b\u200babout 45 thousand square kilometers. Over the past period of existence of the Vasyugan swamps in the Novosibirsk region, they continue to advance on land. There is evidence of an increase in their area by 4 times over the past 500 years. On average, the area of ​​marsh massifs increases by 18 square kilometers annually.

Unique flora and fauna

The flora of these swamps is represented by more than 242 species, of which 26 are rare and endangered. The fauna is 41 species of mammals, about 195 species of birds (22 species are listed in the Red Books of various levels), many reptiles, amphibians and insects.

Rare and endangered plant species listed in the Red Book are not uncommon here. Entire swamp communities are unique in their species composition. There are also representatives of the orchid family, and downy boll, black-eyed, rare species of sedges. Also blueberries, cloudberries and cranberries.

Vasyugan swamps are home to a huge number of animals, especially their forested part. From the Red Book, these are reindeer, slender-billed curlews, peregrine falcons, white-tailed eagles. And also moose, sable, mink, otters, brown bears and wolverines. Black grouse and capercaillie live in the swamps, white partridges and hazel grouses live.

The network of rivers and lakes serves as a transit point for migratory birds. Ornithologists claim that 60% of ducks migrate through this swampy area in spring.

Environmental threats

Despite the historically sparsely populated area and the lack of developed economic activity, these territories were under the influence of environmental pressure. The development of oil and gas developments in Western Siberia violates the integrity of unique landscapes and leads to a decrease in biodiversity.

No less dangerous is the influence of natural factors - fires. They occur even in winter and cause irreparable damage to swamp areas. As a result of one of the fires in the 20s of the last century, the largest lake in the region, Tenis, was formed in the southwestern part of the swamps. Today its depth reaches 18 meters, and the area of ​​the water surface is about 20 square kilometers.

Another unsightly environmental threat is the second stages of rockets launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome falling right here. With each such step, a huge amount of heptyl, toxic fuel residues, enters the ecosystem. In some areas, the content of this substance exceeds the permissible norms by 5 times. One of the areas in which work is currently underway to eliminate this factor of influence on swamps is the transfer of the launch site from Baikonur to the Vostochny cosmodrome (Amur Region).

That is why, with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 16, 2017 No. 1563, the Vasyugansky State Nature Reserve was created and preparations began for a project to introduce a special environmental regime in these territories. So far, 615 thousand hectares of swamps belong to its territories. These are not optimal dimensions that are planned to be expanded.

How to get there

Unique swamps can be seen, but getting there is extremely difficult. Outlying villages can be reached by cross-country vehicles, and then only caterpillar vehicles, and even then with restrictions. You will have to go deep into the swamps on foot, which is already quite dangerous without the necessary experience.

For tourists, it is possible to view the swamps from a helicopter. Such services are offered by travel agencies of Tomsk. And there is something to see: the endless expanses of the moss carpet, which is, as it were, above its banks due to the seething processes of peat formation.

Alluring abysses

For extreme tourists, visiting these places becomes a mystical obsession, fanned by legends about swamps in which people and jeeps disappear. Since ancient times, sparsely populated areas abound with abandoned villages and eerie landscapes of the Vasyugan swamps. An interesting fact: it is simply impossible to get into these swamps on any jeep.

In the warm season, you can get there only on caterpillar vehicles. And then the landscape of the thawed tundra opens up to the eye, a continuous carpet of a many-meter layer of mosses that floats on the surface of a huge freshwater lake. Untouched and dead places - it is dangerous to linger. The moss carpet is torn and you can just go under this carpet. Well, you can drink water from every puddle - moss is a natural antiseptic and eliminates decay.

The road through the Vasyugan swamps is safe only in winter, only then can one penetrate into the very depths of these swamps.

Be careful, weary traveler

This section is for those who still decide to see the "Russian Amazon". This is not for you to cook kebabs in nature! Not only are these edges called bearish for a reason, there are a lot of snakes and hornets (more terrible than snakes). There is nothing to say about the swamps, where even heavy tracked vehicles are dragged. And the many abandoned villages with strange sounds and paranormal phenomena are not just interesting facts for you. Vasyugan swamps keep many secrets about people who disappeared in the swamps and ghosts roaming this area, luring kikimors and demonic fires that drive you crazy.

Summing up

Vasyugan swamps are not only a unique natural and landscape phenomenon of Western Siberia, but also an important biospheric component of our planet. Its geoecological functions are indispensable and belong to irreplaceable natural resources. The biosphere reserve in these swamps is important for the formation of the climate on Earth and the conservation of biodiversity on a planetary scale. The continuation of work in the direction of ecologization of economic activity, carried out by the main scientific centers of the country, is aimed at establishing the maximum allowable environmental restrictions. Only in this way will we be able to preserve another natural pearl - the “Russian Amazonia”, the only one of our homeland and a place that beckons with its mysterious grandeur and unsolved mysteries.

Kievyan street, 16 0016 Armenia, Yerevan +374 11 233 255

The Vasyugan swamps are the largest swamps in the world, located in Western Siberia, between the Ob and Irtysh rivers, on the territory of the Vasyugan plain, which is mostly within the Tomsk region, and in small parts - the Novosibirsk and Omsk regions and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.
The swamp area is 53 thousand km² (for comparison: the area of ​​Switzerland is 41 thousand km²), the length from west to east is 573 km, from north to south - 320 km, the coordinates are from 55 ° 40 "to 58 ° 60" N. sh. and from 75°30" to 83°30"E. d.
Included in the hundred wonders of Russia!

The deserted Vasyugan swamps are a “geographical trend” in the north of the Tomsk region, which in the old days was called the Narym Territory. Historically, these were places of exile for political prisoners.

“God created paradise, and the devil created the Narym Territory,” the first wave of Russian migrants said, “serving people by order” and “exiles” (almost from the very beginning, Narym, standing in the middle of the swamps, began to be used as a place of exile). The second wave of exiles (political prisoners since the 1930s) echoed: “God created Crimea, but the devil created Narym.” But it was said by those who were here against their will. The indigenous people are the Khanty (old. "Ostyaks") and the Selkups (outdated. "Ostyak-Samoyeds"), whose ancestors, as evidenced by the archaeological finds of the Kulay culture (bronze casting: hunting weapons and cult artifacts), lived in semi-dugouts in the elevated areas of Vasyugan for at least three thousand years, that would never have been said. But the Narym Territory is the land of swamps, and in Slavic folklore swamps are always associated with evil spirits.

Vasyugan swamps arose about 10 thousand years ago and have been constantly increasing since then - 75% of their modern area was swamped less than 500 years ago. Marshes are the main source of fresh water in the region (water reserves - 400 km³), there are about 800 thousand small lakes, many rivers originate from swamps, in particular: Ava, Bakchar, Big Yugan, Vasyugan, Demyanka, Iksa, Kargat, Kyonga , Nurolka, Small Tartas, Tartas, Small Yugan, Om, Parabel, Parbig, Tara, Tui, Uy, Tea, Chertala, Chizhapka, Chuzik, Shegarka, Shish. Vasyugan swamps

Vasyugan swamps are home to numerous local fauna, including rare ones. Of the rare species of animals in the swamps, in particular, reindeer, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, osprey, gray shrike, peregrine falcon live. Squirrels, elks, sables, wood grouses, white partridges, hazel grouses, black grouses are present in significant quantities, mink, otter, wolverine are in smaller quantities. The flora also includes rare and endangered plant species and plant communities. Cranberries, blueberries, and cloudberries are widely distributed among wild plants.
Now the fauna and flora of the swamps is under threat due to the development of the territory during the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas fields. The falling second stages of launch vehicles launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which pollute the territory with heptyl residues, also pose an environmental hazard. Vasyugan swamps

VASYUGAN PLAIN
The Vasyugan inclined reservoir-accumulative plain (Vasyuganye) is a plain in Western Siberia, part of the West Siberian Plain, located within the Tomsk, Novosibirsk and Omsk regions, between the Ob and Irtysh rivers.
The plain decreases to the north, the absolute heights vary from 100 to 166 m.
The territory is heavily swamped, one of the largest swamps in the world is located here - Vasyuganskoye, from which many rivers originate, in particular: Ava, Bakchar, Big Yugan, Vasyugan, Demyanka, Iksa, Kenga, Nyurolka, Maly Tartas, Tartas, Maly Yugan , Om, Parabel, Parbig, Tara, Tui, Uy, Tea, Chertala, Chizhapka, Chuzik, Shegarka, Shish.
Fossils: oil, natural gas, peat, iron ore. Vasyugan swamps

VASYUGAN RIVER
Vasyugan is a river in the south of the West Siberian Plain, a left tributary of the Ob. It flows entirely through the territory of the Kargasoksky district of the Tomsk region.
Length - 1082 km, navigable at a distance of 886 km from the mouth, basin area - 61,800 km². Average long-term annual flow: 345 m³/s, 10.9 km³/year.
It originates from the Vasyugan swamps. Vasyugan swamps

Major tributaries:
right: Elizarovka, Petryak, Polovinka, Ershovka, Kalganak, Penorovka, Nyurolka, Winter, Chizhapka, Pasil, Silga, Naushka, Kochebilovka, Slogan.
left: Big Petryak, Listvenka, Korovya, Staritsa, Garchak, Kyn, Burbot, Deaf, Chertala, Yagylyakh, Egolyakh, Olenevka, Kelvat, Lontynyakh, Katylga, Cheremshanka, Prudovaya, Makhnya, Kedrovka, Martynovka, Varen-Egan, Yokhomyakh, Chebachya , Kacharma, Malaya Kuletka.

Settlements (from source):
from. New Vasyugan, village of Aipolovo, s. New Tevriz, p. Middle Vasyugan, p. Old Berezovka, with. Ust-Chizhapka, with. Naunak, p. Big Mane, p. Staroyugino, p. Novoyugino, p. Bondarka.
There are oil and gas fields in the Vasyugan basin.

RIVER BIG YUGAN
The Bolshoi Yugan is a river in Russia, flows through the territory of the Surgut and Nefteyugansk regions of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, the left tributary of the Ob, flows into the Yugansk Ob.

The length of the river is 1063 km, the area of ​​its drainage basin is 34,700 km². At 118 km from the mouth, the average annual water flow is 177.67 m³/s.
The source in the swamps of Vasyuganya (Vasyugan swamps), flows through the swampy territory of the West Siberian Plain.
There are many tributaries, of which the right Small Yugan is the largest. There are about 8000 lakes in the basin, the total area of ​​which is 545 km². The river is fed by snow. Freeze from October to early May.
The main settlements from the mouth to the source:
Yugan, Maloyugansky, Ugut, Kogonchins, Kayukovs, Taurova, Tailakovo, Larlomkins.

DEMYANKA RIVER
Demyanka is a river in Western Siberia, the right tributary of the Irtysh.
Sources in the swamps of Vasyugan in the north-east of the Omsk region. Then it flows through the territory of the Uvatsky district of the Tyumen region. Tributaries: Keum, Tyamka - right; Tegus, Urn, Imgyt, Big Kunyak - left.
The total length of the river is 1159 km, the catchment area is 34,800 km² with an average height of 90 m, it receives 50 tributaries, more than 10 km long. The total number of streams in the river basin reaches an impressive value: 1689, with a total length of 10,913 km. The density coefficient of the river network is 0.31 km/km².
The average weighted slope of the river is 0.07 ‰, which indicates a calm flow, moderate deformation processes, and a fine-grained composition of bottom sediments.
The river valley, both in the upper and in the middle reaches, has a trapezoidal shape. The slopes of the river valley are relatively steep, steep in places, and have a variety of taiga vegetation.
Woody vegetation is represented by mixed forests, coniferous tree species: cedar, pine, spruce, fir; hardwoods: aspen, birch, willow. Of the shrubs, bird cherry and willow predominate.
The river bed is unbranched, strongly winding. The bottom of the channel is silty-sandy. During the spring rise in the water level, the river partially becomes navigable. The channel in shallow water is littered with fallen trees and shrubs. The type of channel process is free meandering. The low-water longitudinal slope is insignificant - 0.034 ‰. The ice drift passes on the rise of the flood.
The Demyanka basin is significantly swampy and is distinguished by a huge number of small lakes: swampiness 50%, forest cover 45%.
The lake content is not so large and does not exceed 2.0%, which is caused by the extremely small size of intrabog lakes.
There is a settlement of Demyanka on the river, but in general the Demyanka basin is poorly populated. There are no large settlements.

In 1949, oil was found in the western part of the swamp, the Kargasoksky district was nicknamed the “oil Klondike”, by the beginning of the 1970s more than 30 oil and gas fields had already been discovered in Vasyugansky (Pionerny) and Luginetsky (Pudino) regions. In 1970, the construction of the Alexandrovskoye - Tomsk - Anzhero - Sudzhensk oil pipeline was started, in 1976 - the Nizhnevartovsk - Parabel - Kuzbass gas pipeline. New tracked vehicles and helicopters have made the Vasyugan swamps more accessible - but also more vulnerable. Therefore, it was decided to reserve a large part of the swamp adjacent to the Ob-Irtysh watershed in order to preserve this natural phenomenon and to regulate the region ecologically.
The natural region of the Vasyuganye covers not only the Vasyugan swamps, but also the basins of the right tributaries of the Irtysh and the left tributaries of the Ob. This is a flat or gently undulating plain with a slight slope to the north, cut through by a network of valleys of the Bolshoy Yugan, Vasyugan, Parabel, and other rivers. The swamp lies on the Ob-Irtysh watershed and is constantly growing.
A swamp is a reservoir of large reserves of fresh water. Bog peat is a valuable raw material and a giant natural filter that cleans the atmosphere of excess carbon and toxic substances, thereby preventing the so-called greenhouse effect. Thus, swamps have a beneficial effect on the formation of water balance and climate over large areas. Wetlands are also the last refuge for many rare and endangered species of animals and birds driven from habitats transformed by humans, and the basis for maintaining the traditional nature management of small peoples, in particular, the indigenous inhabitants of Western Siberia.
Vasyugan swamps are the largest swamp system in the Northern Hemisphere, a unique natural phenomenon that has no analogues. They cover about 55 thousand km2 in the northern part of the Ob-Irtysh interfluve on the sloping Vasyugan Plateau, which rises in the center of the West Siberian Plain. Peatlands rest on a thick layer of clay and loamy deposits, their formation is facilitated by excessive moisture.
According to scientists, swamps appeared in Western Siberia in the early Holocene (about 10 thousand years ago). Local legends speak of the ancient Vasyugan Sea-Lake, but geologists say that the Great Vasyugan Swamp did not occur through the overgrowth of ancient lakes, but as a result of the advance of swamps on land under the influence of a humid climate and favorable orographic conditions. Initially, there were 19 separate areas with a total area of ​​45 thousand km2 on the site of the current single swamp massif, but gradually the bog absorbed the surroundings, like the onset of desert sands. Today, the region is still a classic example of active, "aggressive" swamp formation: more than half of its current area has been added in the last 500 years, and the swamps continue to grow, increasing by an average of 800 hectares per year. In the central part, there is a more intensive upward growth of peat, which is why the Vasyugan swamp has a convex shape and rises 7.5-10 m above the edges; at the same time, on the periphery, there is an increase in area. Vasyugan swamps

The Great Vasyugan bog at the junction of the southern taiga, middle taiga and subtaiga (small-leaved) subzones is distinguished by a wide variety of vegetation and is heterogeneous in landscape and type of bogs (upland, lowland and transitional). The landscape alternates between ridges and depressions, swamps, intramarsh lakes, streams and rivers (tributaries of the Irtysh and Ob).
The diversity of the marsh landscape is reflected in the local names of individual sites. So, "ryams" designate areas of Siberian oligotrophic (with a low content of nutrients, infertile) swamps with pine-shrub-sphagnum (sphagnum mosses - a source of peat formation) vegetation. "Shelomochki" - separate islands with pine-shrub-sphagnum vegetation (as on ryams) with a diameter of up to several tens of meters, rising above the surface of sedge-hypnum bogs by 50-90 cm. "Veretya" - narrow (1-2 m wide) and long (up to 1 km long) sections lying perpendicular to the surface runoff and rising above the monotonous sedge-hypnum swamps by 10-25 cm; birches, pines, Lapland and rose-leaved willows, sedges and leaf-stem mosses (as in depressions) grow singly or in small groups on the ropes.
A characteristic feature of the Vasyugan bog is special lowland swamps with a polygonal-cellular pattern of the surface (a subspecies of the ridge-hollow-lake bog), confined to saucer-shaped depressions at the top of the watershed, devoid of runoff. Their "geometric ornament" is clearly visible from the aircraft and on aerial photographs. Vasyugan swamps

GENERAL INFORMATION
The giant swamp system of Western Siberia, the largest swamp in the Northern Hemisphere.
Location: in the northern part of the Ob-Irtysh interfluve, on the Vasyugan Plateau in the center of the West Siberian Plain.
Administrative affiliation: a swamp on the border of the Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions, in the north-west it enters the Omsk region.
The sources of the rivers: the left tributaries of the Ob - Vasyugan, Parabel, Chaya, Shegarka, the right Irtysh - Om and Tara and many others.
The nearest settlements are: (the swamp itself is not inhabited) Kargasok, Novy Vasyugan, Maisk, Kedrovo, Bakchar, Pudino, Parbig, Podgornoye, Plotnikovo, etc.
Nearest airports: international airport Tomsk, Nizhnevartovsk, Surgut.

Area: approx. 55,000 km2.
Length: from west to east 573 km and from north to south about 320 km.
Waterlogged annually: about 800 ha.
Average heights: from 116 to 146 m (at the source of the Bakchar river), slope to the north.
Fresh water reserves: up to 400 km3.
Number of small lakes: about 800,000.
Number of rivers and streams originating from peatlands: about 200.

CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Continental, humid (zone of excessive moisture).
Average annual temperature: -1.6°С.
Average January temperature: -20°C (up to -51.3°C).
Average July temperature: +17°C (up to +36.1°C).
Average annual rainfall: 470-500 mm.
Snow cover (40-80 cm) from October to April (average 175 days).

ECONOMY
Minerals: peat, oil, natural gas.
Industry: peat extraction, logging, oil and gas (in the western part of the swamp).
Agriculture (in dry areas in the vicinity of the swamp): animal husbandry, growing potatoes and vegetables.
Traditional crafts: hunting and fur collection, gathering (berries: cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries, cloudberries; medicinal herbs), fishing.
Service sector: not developed (potentially - ecotourism, extreme tourism, commercial hunting and fishing outside the reserve).

ATTRACTION
■ Natural: the Vasyugansky biosphere reserve of federal significance (since 2014, under consideration for its inclusion in the UNESCO List of sites; 1.6 million hectares are reserved in the Novosibirsk region and 509 hectares in the Tomsk region) - on the watershed of the Ob-Irtysh interfluve.
■ Wildlife: reindeer, elk, bear, wolverine, otter, sable, beaver, squirrel, etc.; waterfowl, capercaillie, hazel grouse, ptarmigan, osprey, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, sandpipers (curlews and godwit, including the rarest, almost extinct species - the slender-billed curlew), etc.
■ The richest berry lands: cranberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, blueberries.
■ Cultural and historical (in the vicinity): Museum of Political Exile (Narym).

CURIOUS FACTS
■ There is a legend about the creation by the Devil of a swamp - liquefied land with small, gnarled trees and coarse grass: “At first, the earth was all water. God walked on it and once met a floating muddy bubble, which burst, and the devil jumped out of it. God commanded the devil to go down to the bottom and get the earth out of there. Fulfilling the order, the devil hid some earth behind both cheeks. In the meantime, God scattered the delivered earth, and where it fell, dry land appeared, and trees, bushes and grasses appeared on it. But the plants began to sprout in the devil's mouth, and he, unable to bear it, began to spit out the earth.
■ In 1882, the West Siberian Department of the Russian Geographical Society instructed N.P. Grigorovsky to check whether “peasants from Russian provinces, Old Believers-schismatics, really settled along the upper reaches of the Vasyugan and the rivers flowing into it; as if they set up villages for themselves, brought arable land and cattle and live, secretly indulging in their fanatical pilgrimage. According to the report, "726 souls of both sexes, including youngsters" lived along Vasyugan - and this was for more than 2000 miles!
■ In 1907, immediately after Stolypin's land reforms, up to 200,000 family migrants and about 75,000 walkers came to the Tomsk province in search of land for farming.
■ For Tomsk, the Vasyugan swamps have become the same symbol as the Klyuchevskoy volcano for Kamchatka or the Kivach waterfall for Karelia.
■ In addition to heavy tracked vehicles, derrick drilling and oil spills at mining sites, the falling second stages of launch vehicles launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome also pose an environmental hazard to the Vasyugan swamps. They pollute the environment with the remnants of toxic rocket fuel.
■ When the Nizhnevartovsk-Parabel-Kuzbass gas pipeline was put into operation, blue fuel from the Myldzhinskoye, Severo-Vasyuganskoye and Luginetskoye gas condensate fields came to the homes and factories of Tomsk, Kuzbass enterprises... But only the inhabitants of the Kargasoksky district, where this gas is produced, this gas is not received (according to information from the local website).
■ The Vasyugansky nature reserve implies a ban on hunting and logging, which will put a significant part of the local population out of work, many of whom are professional hunters. The administration of the reserve hopes to attract former hunters as gamekeepers to fight poaching...
■ The name of the oil workers' settlement Novy Vasyugan bears a strong resemblance to the ironic popular name "Nyu-Vasyuki" attributed to Ostap Bender. However, neither in the book nor in the films ("The Twelve Chairs") this name does not appear. The colorful toponym arose among the people from a confused phrase: "Vasyuki are renamed New Moscow, Moscow - Old Vasyuki."

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SOURCE OF MATERIAL AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
Zemtsov A.A., Savchenko N.V. Modern geoecological state of the Vasyugan swamp massif. // e-lib.gasu.ru.
Vasyugan swamp (natural conditions, structure and functioning) / Ed. L. I. Inisheva. - Tomsk: TSNTI, 2000. - 136 p.
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Wikipedia site

Vadim Andrianov / wikipedia.org

Vasyugan swamps are one of the largest on Earth. They are located between the Ob and Irtysh rivers, on the Vasyugan plain, within the borders of the Tomsk, Novosibirsk and Omsk regions.

Vasyugan swamps are a very interesting natural phenomenon, which is distinguished by a variety of landscapes. In 2007 they were included in the preliminary list of UNESCO heritage sites in Russia.

Vasyugan swamps are located in places where small-leaved forests pass into the southern taiga. Their area is approximately 53,000 sq. km, which exceeds the territory of some European countries. This is approximately two percent of the total area of ​​all peat bogs on Earth.

Vasyugan swamps were formed about ten thousand years ago and since then their territory has been constantly growing. They stretch about 570 km from west to east and more than 300 km from north to south.

Swamping of the area has been especially fast in recent years, for example, in the last five hundred years alone, the area occupied by swamps has increased by about 75%.

During the warm period of the year, the Vasyugan swamps are almost completely impassable for any equipment.

The movement of geological parties and cargo transportation to developing oil fields is carried out only in winter.

Flora and fauna of the Vasyugan swamps

The Great Vasyugan Swamp is home to many animals, some of which are rare. Of the mammals, elk, bear, sable, squirrel, otter, wolverine and others are found here. Until recently, reindeer could be found, but today, most likely, its population has completely disappeared. Of the birds, there are hazel grouse, black grouse, curlews, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, etc.

Medicinal herbs and berries grow here from plants, blueberries, cloudberries and cranberries are especially numerous.

Significance of swamps

Vasyugan swamps are of great ecological importance for the entire region, and also perform a number of biospheric functions. They represent a natural reserve for various marsh landscapes and the flora and fauna living in them.

The total water reserves are approximately 400 cubic kilometers, which makes them an important reservoir of fresh water. There are numerous small lakes here. In the Vasyugan swamps are the sources of the rivers Vasyugan, Tara, Om, Parabig, Chizhapka, Ui and some others.

The large Vasyugan swamp contains a significant amount of peat. Only its explored reserves exceed a billion tons. Peat on average lies at a depth of about 2.5 meters. Peat bogs sequester carbon, thereby reducing its content in the atmosphere and reducing the greenhouse effect. In addition, marsh vegetation produces oxygen.

Environmental problems

Although there are almost no settlements in the Vasyugan swamps and economic activity is minimal here, people still harm the unique and rather fragile ecosystem.

Among the environmental problems of the region, one can note deforestation, peat extraction, development of oil fields, poaching, etc. The development of local deposits is associated with a negative impact on soils of all-terrain vehicles, oil spills and other adverse factors.

A serious problem is created by the second stages of rockets falling here, which are launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. These steps pollute the area with heptyl, which has a strong toxic effect.

Until recently, almost no attempts were made to protect this unique natural landscape. Only in 2006, in the east of the Vasyugan swamps, the Vasyugansky complex reserve was created, the territory of which totals 5090 square meters. km.

In 2007 they were included in the preliminary list of heritage sites in Russia. It is understood that the nominated object will include the territory of the existing reserve. There is a question about giving at least part of the Vasyugan swamps the status of a reserve, which would practically exclude any economic activity here.

How to get there?

The Great Vasyugan Swamp is distinguished by its extreme inaccessibility. Some villages lying on the outskirts can still be reached by off-road vehicle, however, the further path will have to be overcome, most likely, only on foot.

A tracked all-terrain vehicle is possible, but its use is quite limited due to swamps. There is also an opportunity to see the swamps from the air - some Tomsk travel agencies organize helicopter tours.

Visiting the Vasyugan swamps is quite dangerous and requires some preparation and experience in moving through such places. There are numerous swamps here, a huge number of bears are found.