Bigaboute VasyugbutRussianswamp is located on the Vasyugan plain in the central part of Western Siberia in the border regions of the Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk regions and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, almost entirely occupying the northern part of the interfluve of the Ob and Irtysh rivers. In its axial part there is a watershed line between the Ob and Irtysh basins. Here the left tributaries of the river originate. Ob (Vasyugan, Parabel, Chaya, Shegarka), right tributaries of the river. Irtysh (Om, Tara and Demyanka), as well as the rivers that feed the fishing lakes of the inland drainage basin of Western Siberia (Chulym and Kargat).

The estimated area of ​​the Vasyugan swamp is over 52 thousand km 2 (5 million hectares, or 0.3% of the total area of ​​Russia), which makes it the second largest swamp in the world after the largest wetland Pantanal in South America . The length of the swamp from west to east is 573 km, from north to south - 320 km.

The swamp is the main source of fresh water in the region - fresh water reserves are estimated at 400 km3. There are about 800 thousand small lakes, as a rule, of secondary origin. Explored peat reserves amount to more than 1 billion tons (2% of all world reserves).

The words "Vasyugan", "Vasyugan" are part of the names of a number of objects in Western Siberia (Vasyugan swamp, Vasyugan plateau, Vasyugan steppe, the villages of Novy Vasyugan and Sredny Vasyugan) and are associated with the name of the Vasyugan River. Initially, the Ket peoples called this river "Vasses" or "Vassis" from the Ket word "ses", "sis" - "river", "stream". When the Khanty tribes settled near this river, they added their root "yugan" to its name, which in their language has the same meaning - "river". Over time, the name was simplified and acquired a modern pronunciation.

Back in the 19th century locals called the swamp area the Vasyugan Sea: in spring, when rivers overflowing their banks flood the coastal lowlands, it turns into a vast freshwater pool, similar to the sea. Some researchers, for example, depicted a large lake in the place of swamps, from which the tributaries of the Ob flow.

The Vasyugan swamp was formed about 10 thousand years ago and initially occupied an area of ​​about 45 thousand km2. The primary isolated bog massifs that arose throughout the course in basins and flat depressions of the relief gradually (2–1.5 thousand years ago) merged into a single vast and complex bog system as peat accumulated and their linear dimensions increased. The swamping process continues at the present time: on average, 18 km 2 are swamped here annually.

The Great Vasyugan Swamp is a natural phenomenon that has no analogues in the world. It is unique in the composition of natural complexes, the extreme complexity of the landscape structure, the development of special types of swamps. The swamp is a standard for heavily swampy landscapes in the southern part of the forest zone of Western Siberia.

The Great Vasyugan bog is located at the junction of two botanical and geographical subzones - the southern taiga and small-leaved forests and two bog zones - a zone of convex ridge-hollow bogs and a zone of diverse bogs - eutrophic and convex pine-sphagnum bogs with the participation of transitional bogs.

Here is a great variety and a unique combination of lowland (eutrophic), transitional (mesotrophic) and raised (oligotrophic) bogs at different stages of development, different in physiognomic appearance, vegetation, features of the surface microrelief and the structure of the peat deposit. Only in the Great Vasyugan bog, a special landscape type of bogs has been discovered and described - vertical-bog mesh-polygonal lowland complex bogs. Veretya, or ridges, 1–3 m wide and tens of meters long, are located across the slope of the swamp surface. The width of the swamps between the ropes reaches 200 m. On the flat tops of the watershed, in the almost complete absence of surface runoff, the ropes go in different directions and, connecting with each other, form a network-cellular pattern of the surface microrelief with polygon diameters from 50 to 100 m.

The northern macroslope of the swamp is occupied mainly by raised bogs. Here are the researched in the 1920s. the well-known geobotanist A. Ya. Bronzov, unique raised bog massifs of a special Narym type, the descriptions of which have become classics in Russian bog science.

The most important function of the Vasyugan swamp is to purify the atmosphere, for which it is called a giant natural filter - swamp peat absorbs toxic substances, binds carbon and thus prevents the greenhouse effect, saturates the air with oxygen. And if the forests of the Amazon are called the "lungs" of the Earth, then the Siberian swamps, including Vasyugan, are the real "air conditioners" of the planet.

In many areas there are rare and endangered species of plants, including the "Red Book" from the orchid family. Locations of rare plant communities requiring protection have been found. For example, the southern taiga birch-spruce, spruce-cedar, fir-birch and fir forests confined to drained areas in the upper reaches of the Tara, Cheka and other rivers are rare communities in the Novosibirsk region.

In the marginal zone of the bog system, forest bogs (sogry) with a rich species diversity of plants are noted. Within the limits of the system itself, rare bog communities with downy beetle, black lily, and some rare species of sedges have been identified. Significant areas are occupied by valuable berry plants, primarily cranberries, as well as lingonberries, blueberries, and cloudberries.

Forest and swamp landscapes in the presence of a network of rivers, streams and lakes play a significant role as places of temporary residence of birds (waterfowl and waders) during the migration period. According to the Institute of Systematics and Ecologists of Animals of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, up to 60% of the total number of ducks fly through the interfluves during spring migration, including vast swamp systems, and only 40% - along the valleys of large rivers (Ob, Tom, Chulyma, etc.). During the breeding season, large waders (curlews, black-tailed godwit), rare species of birds of prey readily nest in the interfluves of forest-bog landscapes. The swamps of Vasyuganya are of particular importance as the place of the last reliable meetings and the possible habitat of the slender-billed curlew, which has practically disappeared from the world fauna. On raised bogs in the river basin. Chai nests in a fairly large number of "Red Book" species - the peregrine falcon.

Due to the diversity of habitats and relatively difficult accessibility, the area is a productive and important land for a number of hunting and commercial animal species.

The mammalian fauna is typical of the southern subzones of the taiga. More than half (56%) of the species composition of mammals are insectivorous and small rodents.

Of the large mammals, elk, brown bear, lynx, as well as sable, squirrel, mink, black grouse, hazel grouse, and ptarmigan are common here. The place of concentration of all species of animals is a strip of forested swamps and forest-bog complexes along the periphery of open swamps in combination with rivers and streams. In the forested upper reaches and valleys of all large rivers (Kenga, Parbig, Andarma, Bakchar, etc.), in wide wedges and strips of raised bogs protruding into vast expanses, there are winter camps for elks. Sable, mink are also found here, along larger rivers - otter, accumulations of capercaillie and hazel grouse are noted.

Until 1984, a local group of reindeer (40–80 heads) lived in the swamps of the Bakcharsky district in the Tomsk region. During aerial surveys in 1995, traces of a small group of deer (up to 8 heads) were noted only in the swamp between the upper reaches of the Bolshaya Kazanka and Emelich rivers .

The territory of the Vasyugan swamp system has traditionally been sparsely populated and practically unaffected by economic activity. In recent decades, along with the growth of technical equipment, it has become more accessible and more frequently visited for fishing and harvesting purposes. The strongest impact on it was the intensive development of the oil and gas complex of Western Siberia, territorially connected with the western part of the swamp. The increase in anthropogenic pressure on local landscapes has led to the need to organize their special protection. At the same time, there are still significant territorial reserves for the organization of large specially protected areas.

However, the most dangerous and most frequently repeated anthropogenic impact on the ecosystems of Vasyugan is fires, which destroy all natural complexes of swamps, including in winter.

In order to preserve and restore the natural complexes of the Vasyugan swamp in the Tomsk region, in 2006, the Vasyugansky natural landscape reserve of regional significance was created with an area of ​​509 thousand hectares. In the near future, it is planned to create the Vasyugansky State Nature Reserve on the territory of the Tomsk (500 thousand hectares) and Novosibirsk (250 thousand hectares) regions, which will include the Vasyugansky reserve.

The Great Vasyugan Swamp is included in the prospective list of the Ramsar Convention as meeting criteria 1 (reference, rare or unique type of wetland ecosystems for the corresponding biogeographic region, is in a natural or close to natural state), 2 (supports the existence of vulnerable or endangered species or communities) and 3 (ensures the existence of populations of plants and/or animals that are of great importance for maintaining the biological diversity of the relevant biogeographic region).

The object "Big Vasyugan swamp" within the boundaries of the reserve "Vasyugansky" in 2007 was included in the preliminary list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

In 2007, the Vasyugansky swamp got into the semi-finals of the All-Russian competition "Seven Wonders of Russia" as one of the winners of the Siberian stage of the competition, and in 2013, according to the results of Internet voting, the Vasyugansky nature reserve was chosen as one of the seven natural wonders of the Tomsk region.

Vasyugan swamps are located in places where small-leaved forests pass into the southern taiga. The area of ​​this swamp is the largest in the world and is about 53-55 thousand square meters. km, which exceeds the size of such European countries as Switzerland, Denmark or Estonia. The dimensions of the swamp in length are approximately 570 by 320 km, it is truly huge. 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.

Especially rapidly swamping of the area has been occurring recently, 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.

How did the swamp

According to scientists, the swamping of the area began about 10 thousand years ago. But the growth of the swamp does not stop even now. Over the past 500 years, the natural area has increased by about 4 times. There is a legend where the ancient Vasyugan sea-lake is mentioned. However, studies have shown that this natural zone was formed not as a result of swamping of water bodies. In this case, everything happened for a different reason. The unique natural zone was formed as a result of the advance of swamps on land. This happened under the influence of favorable orographic conditions, as well as a humid climate.

Initially, there were 19 sites on the site of the swamp. Their area was approximately 45 thousand square kilometers. However, the quagmire gradually swallowed up the surrounding lands. This can be compared to the advance of the sands in the desert. It should be noted that the Vasyugan swamp is a classic example of “aggressive” and active swamp formation.

Creation legend

There is a legend about the creation of the Vasyugan swamp, according to which at first there was only water on earth, and nothing more. The Lord walked on the water and noticed how a muddy bubble was floating on the surface, from which the devil suddenly jumped out. The Lord ordered the devil to go down deep to the bottom and get the earth.

During the execution of this order, the devil took and hid some earth behind both cheeks. God scattered the earth brought by the devil from the bottom, and it was in those places where it fell that dry land appeared with lush vegetation. But the plants began to sprout not only on land, but also in the mouth of the devil himself, and he, unable to bear this, began to spit out the earth.

swamp climate

The climate in this natural zone is humid and continental. In January, the average temperature is about 20°C below zero, and in July - 17°C above zero. The snow cover lasts about 175 days a year, and its height is from 40 to 80 centimeters. Thanks to this climate, the Great Vasyugan Swamp is a unique nature reserve, home to many endangered species of birds and animals.

Flora and fauna of the Vasyugan swamps

Vasyugan swamps are home to numerous local fauna, including rare ones. The swamps are inhabited, in particular, by reindeer, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, osprey, gray shrike, peregrine falcon. 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. Of the wild plants are widely distributed: cranberries, blueberries, cloudberries.

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. Whereas the falling second stages of launch vehicles launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which bring the remains of unburned heptyl into the territory.

In the summer, swamps are almost impassable even for specialized vehicles. Cargo transportation to oil fields and exploration parties is carried out in winter.

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.

In addition, the area is rich in peat. Studies show that known deposits contain just over 1 billion tons of useful rock. This is about 2% of the world reserves. The average depth of peat is 2.4 meters, and the maximum depth is 10 meters.

Do not forget that the main function of swamps is to purify the atmosphere. It is for this reason that they are also called "natural filter". It is worth noting that the Vasyugan peat bog absorbs toxic substances, binds carbon, saturates the air with oxygen and prevents the formation of a greenhouse effect.

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 of 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 view 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.

The division of swamps into low-lying, high-moor, and transitional swamps by no means exhausts their infinite diversity.

Therefore, there are more fractional classifications. According to various characteristics, swamps are divided into a number of types. An illustrative example is the richest "collection" of marsh massifs of the West Siberian Plain. Bolotologists believe that in its open spaces you can see almost all types of swamps that are found in the northern hemisphere.

Let's look at the Siberian swamps from a height and, as it were, make an air trip over them. It will begin from the Far North, from the shores of the Kara Sea, and will end over the steppes of the Baraba lowland.

The West Siberian Plain resembles a trapezium in its outlines: its wide base looks to the south, narrow - to the north. It consists of two flat bowl-shaped depressions, between which the Siberian Uvals are spread in the latitudinal direction - low elevations up to 175-200 m in height. As a natural physical-geographic region, Western Siberia has very clear boundaries. In the west - the slopes of the Ural Mountains, in the north - the Kara Sea, in the east - the Yenisei valley and the cliffs of the Central Siberian Plateau. In the south, natural boundaries are less pronounced. The edge of the plain, gradually rising, passes into the Turgai plateau and the Kazakh hills.

This region is very rich in large and small rivers, but its most characteristic feature is the abundance of swamps.

According to the conditions of occurrence, development, quality and quantity of peat deposits, vegetation and other features, they differ greatly from each other. These differences are closely related to the natural latitudinal zonality and reveal a fairly clear pattern.

... Among the boundless green silence of the swamps, you feel like a grain of sand in the ocean. There is a feeling of abandonment, isolation from everything earthly. As if all ties with the familiar world are torn. Somewhere in the distance - the horizon line, and around - swamps, swamps without end and edges, riddled with rivers, interspersed with lakes, in some places with islands of forest vegetation.

The swamps are very beautiful. Like a huge motley carpet, juicy, golden red with green and brown spots. It is not uncommon and a gradual, smooth transition to dark brown tones. Against this background are interspersed countless blue lakes and lakes of the most bizarre shape, sometimes large, whose area reaches tens and even hundreds of square kilometers, sometimes just a few meters. The blue of lakes with pairs of white swans and flocks of ducks, hummocks covered with cranberries in such abundance that their surface seems red, amber fields of ripe cloudberries, dew drops sparkling with diamonds on the cilia of sundew ... For a swamp explorer, there are no more attractive and more beautiful landscapes on earth.

So, let's start the journey on the plane tested by the AN-2, from which everything is perfectly visible. Below us is a zone of arctic swamps. To the north of the Arctic Circle, swampy expanses of the tundra stretch for many kilometers. From the height of our flight, areas similar to the polygons of giant honeycombs are clearly visible. As if an unknown land surveyor, for some unknown reason, drew the land into plots - polygons of almost regular shape. This peculiar type of polygonal swamps is very characteristic of the tundra. The sizes of "honeycombs" are different - from five to twenty meters in diameter. In winter, snow is blown off the surface of the swamps by the wind, and during severe frosts they are covered with deep cracks up to 80 cm deep. They are bordered by convex rollers with a layer of peat, formed during uneven freezing, thawing of permafrost and swelling of the soil. Rolls impede runoff, and much of the landfill is permanently waterlogged. The accumulation of peat in such swamps is small, but it is truly of great importance: peat is abundantly covered with lichens (the famous reindeer moss is the food base for reindeer breeding), as well as shrubs and mosses.

On the shores of the Kara Sea, there are also coastal swamps flooded with sea water during surge winds. Occasionally, along the river valleys, there are islands of stunted larch forest and willow. The strong swampiness of the tundra can be explained by three main reasons: the already mentioned location of the frozen layer close to the surface, which prevents the penetration of water into the depths, the flatness of the territory, and the fact that the amount of precipitation here exceeds evaporation.

To the south of the polygonal swamps, a zone of flat-hilly swamps begins. The mosaic landscape is composed of low (no more than two meters) mounds, separated by flooded depressions - hollows. The area of ​​some elevations can reach several tens and even hundreds of meters. Permafrost forms a continuous shell here. The tops of the hills are covered with lichen, the slopes are covered with mosses. There are few flowering plants, they are oppressed and stunted. In hollows there is a carpet of hypnum or sphagnum mosses.

In the north of Western Siberia, frozen peatlands extend approximately to the 64th parallel. Further south, between 64 and 62 degrees north latitude, permafrost occupies only isolated areas. This is mainly a zone of large-hilly swamps. The hillocks also alternate with hollows, but the sizes of both are much larger: the hillocks are up to eight meters high. Similar to the ancient Scythian mounds, whitish-gray from the lichens covering them, they create a unique original landscape. Both types of swamps often coexist. Large-hilly usually gravitate towards river valleys, old channels, and flat-hilly are located on watersheds. It is difficult to draw a clear line between them.

Hollows are covered with moistened sedge communities or, again, moss cover. Sometimes the vegetation is poorly developed, and bare peat is visible. During the summer, the peat thaws to the bottom and then the swamps become completely impassable. It is difficult to get through only where there are bumps or small elevations among the hollows.

As the mounds grow, the winter winds blow them more and more violently; the peaks are completely freed from snow and even resistant northern plants die on them. Exposed patches of peat under the influence of frosty weathering are covered with cracks, which give shelter to the oppressed, but stubbornly surviving arctic shrubs, dwarf birch, crowberry, wild rosemary, marsh myrtle. They live much better on the leeward slopes of hillocks. At the foot, they even form dense thickets, which are often dominated by dwarf birch.

They tried to dig up mounds in the swamps: it was interesting to find out what was inside. Under a layer of peat, which serves as an excellent insulator, permafrost is well preserved, and in it, as in a shell, lies a core of sand and loam, also reliably soldered by ice like cement and penetrated by numerous ice layers.

A variety of assumptions have been made about the origin of the hillocks. As a result, uneven freezing of the soil began to be considered the main reason. It leads to swelling of the soil, then the work of water and wind joins. As a result, such a peculiar relief gradually arises.

We are moving further south. Behind the Siberian ridges are convex raised bogs. There are a huge number of them. In fact, they occupy about half of the entire plain. The northern taiga is dominated by the so-called sphagnum lake-ridge-hollow bogs. This is really a natural combination of ridges, hollows and lakes. The plants on them are typically oligotrophic, adapted to life on soils that are extremely poor in nutrients. The accumulation of peat is quite intensive, its deposits reach a thickness of 2 meters.

As you move to the southern taiga among the swamps, there are fewer and fewer lakes, until they disappear altogether. Bogs become ridge-hollow, often alternating with pine-shrub-sphagnum. Nature has created here optimal conditions for the accumulation of peat. Its average thickness is 3-4 m, and in some massifs peat occurs to a depth of 10-12 m.

Here we are in the south of the West Siberian Plain. The southern taiga is gradually giving way to small-leaved, aspen-birch forests. The shape of the swamps is also changing. Most of them are flat, low-lying, with an abundance of sedges and green mosses. Raised pine-shrub-sphagnum bogs occur in the form of islets. Woody vegetation also occupies low ridges stretching over the surface of the bog. Herbaceous vegetation is quite diverse. Sedges, watch, cinquefoil, poisonous milestone, green mosses cover the surface of the swamp with a lush green carpet.

There are also swamps on the southernmost edge of Western Siberia, although this is a kind of paradox - a zone of insufficient moisture begins here. Of course, the nature of the swamps is different, they are often grassy - with a predominance of reeds or sedges. Wide swampy strips stretch along river valleys, occupy interfluves, to the south they capture lake basins, oxbow lakes and other depressions where close groundwater creates constant local waterlogging of the upper soil layers.

Grassy swamps (they are often called zayishchimi) sometimes stretch without interruption for tens of kilometers. The wind sways the grass, and green waves roll over the surface of the swamp. In general, this is called the Baraba steppe, although over a quarter of its territory is occupied by swamps. Loans are spread widely between the Ishim and Tobol rivers, especially in their middle reaches. Swampy grassy spaces surround the lake with a wide ring, descend into lowlands and old channels. There is also the formation of peat. The deposits reach 1.5 meters in thickness.

The vegetation of the borrowings is peculiar. Their natives are reed, reed grass, reed, various sedges. They belong to salt-tolerant plants. Reed growing along the edges and even outside the swamps, in the zone of variable moisture, serves as a geobotanical indicator of mixed chloride-sulphate salinization. In general, there are a lot of salts in the soils of Baraba, especially in non-marshy areas, where there are favorable conditions for capillary rise to the surface of saline groundwater. Salt spots are common in such places. Some dirt roads in the Baraba steppe turn completely white from salt and in summer they make a strange impression: they seem to be covered with non-melting snow.

Another curious feature: often small areas of raised bogs, the so-called ryams, are interspersed in the loans. Their vegetation does not tolerate salinity at all and can only exist if it is completely isolated from the rest of the swamp due to the solid layer of peat underlying the rows. The convex surface of the ryams with asymmetrical slopes usually rises above the grass cover of the site. Pine trees grow on them, sphagnum and marsh shrubs are common at their roots. The area of ​​ryams ranges from 4-5 to several hundred hectares. How do ryams appear among the saline soils of the West Siberian forest-steppe? The answer is pretty simple. In the forest-steppe, with strong winds, the snow cover is blown away from open spaces, the peat deposit freezes, and salts are redistributed. A layer of fresh ice forms on top. This process is repeated many times, and with intense freezing, desalination of individual, most watered central sections of the marshes occurs. Then sphagnum mosses and other plants of raised bogs settle on them. The ages of the rims are different. They arose during the entire Holocene (post-glacial time), and are formed now.

Western Siberia is an extensive storehouse of minerals. In addition to peat, deposits of coal and iron ores are known, but the main value lies in oil and gas reserves. This region is rich in forests, fish, fur-bearing animals, mushrooms, and berries. For the successful economic development of such a swampy region, it is necessary to know as much as possible about the swamps, to fully restore the history of their formation and the dynamics of development at the present time.

With the help of modern research methods, it is not so difficult to travel back thousands of years in order to find out in detail how and when swamps arose.

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Brief description of the land

The Great Vasyugan Swamp is the largest swamp in the world, representing a giant swamp system in the northern hemisphere of the planet. Its area is about 5 million hectares. The swamp has a reference geographic purpose (a reference for heavily swampy landscapes of the southern taiga subzones in the central part of Western Siberia), ensures the natural functioning of the Ob-Irtysh basin and performs environmental control functions in the biosphere.

Wetland type

Within the framework of the classification of wetlands of the Ramsar Convention, the proposed site of the Vasyugan bog includes peatlands of the following groups:

  • a) U - treeless peatlands, including shrubs;
  • b) Xf - freshwater forest wetlands, including freshwater forest swamps, seasonally flooded forests; c) Xp - forest peatlands.

The swamp area is 53 thousand km² (for comparison: the area Switzerland- 41 thousand km²), length from west to east - 573 km, from north to south - 320 km, coordinates - from 55 ° 40 "to 58 ° 60" s. sh. and from 75°30" to 83°30"E. d.

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 , Kenga , Nyurolka , Maly Tartas , Maly Yugan , Om , Parabel , Parbig , Tara , Tui , Ui , Chaya , Chertala , Chizhapka , Chuzik , Shegarka , Shish .

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. There are significant quantities squirrels, moose, sable, capercaillie, partridges white partridges, hazel grouse, black grouse, in smaller quantities mink, otter, wolverine. The flora also includes rare and endangered plant species and plant communities. Widespread among wild plants cranberry, blueberry, cloudberry.

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. An environmental hazard is also posed by the falling second stages of launch vehicles launched from (cosmodrome) Baikonur Cosmodrome, which pollute the territory with residues heptyl.

On March 10, 2006, the Vasyugan landscape reserve with an area of ​​5.1 thousand km² was formed, in addition, there are plans to give the reserve the status of a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. .

The importance of the site in the natural water cycle

The Great Vasyugan Swamp is the most important object of water protection significance. The left tributaries of the river Ob (the rivers Vasyugan, Parabel, Chaya, Shegarka) originate here, the right tributaries of the river. the Irtysh River (the Om and Tara rivers), as well as the rivers that feed the fishing lakes of the Western Siberia internal runoff basin (the Chulym and Kargat rivers).

This area is characterized by unique features of the formation and existence of the water exchange system of the West Siberian artesian basin. In marsh landscapes, where almost the entire catchment area of ​​the runoff basins is occupied by flooded peatlands with a huge number of intrabog lakes, the role of marsh nutrition sharply prevails in the formation of groundwater resources. Waterlogging of the Baraba forest-steppe located to the south is associated with the runoff from the Vasyugan swamp, which is in conflict with the modern climate. The swamp is a strategic source and storage of large reserves of fresh water.

Environmental parameters

The enormous dimensions of the Great Vasyugan swamp determine the features of its biogeographical position. It is located at the junction of two botanical and geographical subzones (southern taiga and small-leaved forests) and two bog zones - a zone of convex ridge-hollow bogs and a zone of diverse bogs - eutrophic and convex pine-sphagnum bogs with the participation of transitional bogs (partially corresponds to the zone of upland forested and lowland swamps according to the zoning adopted in this review).

The Vasyugan bog system presents peculiar combinations of bog and forest-bog landscapes, special types of bog massifs, diverse plant communities and unique complexes of bog vegetation, rare and endangered plant species and rare phytocenoses.

The northern macroslope of the swamp is occupied mainly by raised bogs. Here are presented peculiar raised bog massifs of a special Narym type, studied in the 1920s by the famous geobotanist A. Ya. Bronzov (1936), the descriptions of which have become classics in Russian bog science. On the Great Vasyugan swamp, one can observe (and this is a unique case) different stages of development of raised bogs.

The Vasyugan bog system is characterized by a significant diversity of lowland (eutrophic) bogs both in terms of the nature of vegetation and the features of the surface microrelief. Only here a special type of bog was discovered and described - veretevo-bog mesh-polygonal lowland bogs.

Valuable fauna

The forest and swamp complexes of the Vasyugan Plain are of great importance for the conservation of rare and endangered animal species and the reproduction of common commercial species. They represent resting places on migration during the migration of waterfowl and waders. Large shorebirds (curlews and godwit) and many rare species of birds of prey nest here. The swamps of Vasyuganya are the places of the last reliable meetings and the possible habitat of the slender-billed curlew, which has practically disappeared from the world fauna. The peregrine falcon nests in the raised bogs of the eastern Vasyugan region, and a fairly high number of this Red Book predator is noted.

Due to the diversity of habitats and the relatively difficult accessibility, the area represents a productive and important land for a number of hunting and commercial species of animals. Places of concentration of animals are areas of forest-bog complexes bordering with open swamps in combination with streams and rivers. In such places, in winter, accumulations of elks are noted, sable, mink, otter are encountered, accumulations of capercaillie and hazel grouse are noticeable.

Until 1984, a local group of reindeer (40-80 heads) lived in the swamps of the Bakcharsky district in the Tomsk region. During aerial surveys in 1995, traces of a small group of deer (up to 8 heads) were noted only in the swamp between the upper reaches of the B. Kazanka and Emelich rivers.

Social and cultural significance of the site

The Great Vasyugan Swamp is of great resource conservation importance. Valuable berry plants (cranberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, blueberries) grow on large areas here, the harvesting of which may be on a large scale in the future. There are huge reserves of medicinal plants.

land use

The territory of the Vasyugan swamp system has traditionally been sparsely populated and practically unaffected by economic activity. In recent decades, along with the growth of technical equipment, it has become more accessible and more frequently visited for consumer, commercial and procurement purposes. The intensive development of the oil and gas complex of Western Siberia, territorially connected with the western part of the swamp, had the strongest impact on it. The increase in anthropogenic pressure on local landscapes has led to the need to organize their special protection. At the same time, there are still significant territorial reserves for the organization of large areas of specially protected territories without prejudice to economic interests in this area.

Factors negatively affecting the state of the site

Intensive economic development of the natural resources of Vasyuganye is accompanied by disturbances of natural landscapes and deterioration of environmental conditions. Among the negative factors are the destruction of forest stands (cutting), the impact of caterpillar vehicles, trampling of vegetation, spills of oil, fuels and lubricants, drilling fluids, mineralized deep waters, pollution with building materials, household waste, and scrap metal. The rivers receive domestic sewage and sewage from agricultural and industrial enterprises, as well as oil and oil products in the new oil-producing areas of the Vasyugan region. The pollution of waters in the northern regions of the Novosibirsk region is alarming. So, the water of the rivers of Tartas near the village. North and Tara near the village. Cordon are characterized by quality classes 6 (very dirty water) and 4 (polluted water). Pollutant concentrations (in fractions of MPC) range from 1.7 to 23.

Environmental measures taken

The Great Vasyugan Swamp has not yet been provided with special environmental measures and specially protected natural areas. Single proposals for the organization of large specially protected natural areas in this region, even included in the long-term plans for the development of nature reserves and sanctuaries in the country, did not receive state support and eventually lost their significance. In the long-term plan for the development of reserves and national parks in Russia until 2005, the area of ​​the Great Vasyugan swamp is not designated. At the same time, this territory is typical of the heavily swampy central sector of Western Siberia. Organization of protection of wetlands in this area coincides with the task of preserving natural diversity in the West Siberian region.

Suggested Conservation Measures

Considering the priority criteria for the value of the Vasyugan bog system, as well as the conditions for its economic use, its key part should be singled out as a particularly valuable wetland, as a large integral fragment with adjacent more drained landscapes.

This is a section of the bog system in its eastern part in the upper reaches of the river. Kengi, Chai, Omi and the rivers of the endorheic basin, associated with the zone of the highest elevations in the southeastern part of the Ob-Irtysh interfluve. At a joint meeting of the Novosibirsk Regional Council of the VOOP, the State Committee for Environmental Protection of the Novosibirsk Region and representatives of the institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which took place on January 30, 1998, it was decided to ask the administrations of the Novosibirsk, Tomsk and Omsk Regions to consider the issue of establishing a state interregional landscape reserve on a part of the Great Vasyugan Swamp of federal significance "Vasyugansky" and the creation of a hydrometeorological service bog station on its territory, as well as to prepare the necessary materials for the inclusion of the bog in the Ramsar List.

Jurisdiction

Administrations of Novosibirsk, Tomsk and Omsk regions

Notes

Literature

  • Vasyugan swamp (natural conditions, structure and functioning). Edited by Inisheva L.I. - Tomsk: TsNTI, 2000. - 136 p.
  • Inisheva L.I., Zemtsov A.A., Inishev N.G. Vasyugan swamp: knowledge, structure, directions of use // Geography and natural resources. - 2002. - No. 2. - S. 84 - 89.
  • Ezupenok A.E. On the conservation of a part of the Vasyugan swamp / A.E. Ezupenok // Bogs and biosphere: materials of the first Scientific school (September 23-26, 2002). - Tomsk, 2003. - S. 104-107. - Bibliography: p. 107 (8 titles). - AKUNB.

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.



ARTICLE ABOUT VASYUGAN BOGS
The first Russian settlers founded the Tyumen (1586), Narym (1596) and Tomsk (1604) prisons shortly after the completion of Yermak's military expedition (1582-1585), which marked the beginning of the conquest of the Siberian Khanate in 1607. Judging by the documents , by 1720, in the Narym Territory, the newly arrived population lived in 12 settlements, but the times were turbulent, the resistance of the local population was not broken, the nature was harsh, so only "service people" recruited "according to the sovereign's extortion" settled among the Khanty and Selkups (Cossacks), clergy-missionaries. Peasants, artisans and merchants bypassed the Vasyugan wilds, advancing to more favorable lands for living, but for the Kerzhak Old Believers persecuted by the authorities, the places were suitable - deaf, impassable.
Since 1835, a systematic settlement of exiles began (a new influx of exiles came to Vasyugan in the 1930s-1950s), it was mainly due to them that the local population increased. Later, landlessness of the peasants of the central provinces as a result of the reforms of 1861, and especially the Stolypin agrarian reform of 1906, contributed to a more active development of Western Siberia. Orlovka through the Vasyugan swamps to the Chertalinsky yurts and along the Vasyugan River and found suitable sites for several more villages. Through the winter road, the Vasyugans transported frozen fish, meat, game birds, furs, berries, and pine nuts to Tomsk in convoys, and brought flour, textiles, and salt back. Bread was not born, but later Siberians adapted to grow potatoes, cabbage, turnips, carrots; cattle also found a place to graze.


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.
Inisheva L.I., Zemtsov A.A., Inishev N.G. Vasyugan swamp: knowledge, structure, directions of use // Geography and natural resources. 2002. No. 2. S. 84-89.
http://geosfera.info/evropa/russia/1644-vasyuganskie-bolota.html
The Great Vasyugan Swamp: Current State and Development Processes / Ed. ed. M. V. Kabanova. - Tomsk: Publishing House of the Institute of Atmospheric Optics SB RAS, 2002. - 230 p.
Ezupenok A.E. On the issue of the conservation of a part of the Vasyugan swamp // Bogs and biosphere: materials of the first Scientific school (September 23-26, 2002). - Tomsk, 2003. - S. 104-107.
Ippolitov I. I., Kabanov M. V., Kataev S. G. et al. On the influence of the Vasyugan swamp on the ambient temperature // Bogs and biosphere: materials of the first Scientific school (September 23–26, 2002). - Tomsk, 2003. - S. 123-135.
Zdvizhkov M.A. Hydrogeochemistry of the Vasyugan swamp massif. — Tomsk, 2005.
Official site of JSC "West-Siberian river shipping company".
Fundamental problems of water and water resources: Mater. III All-Russian. conf. with international participation (Barnaul, August 24-28, 2010). - Barnaul: Publishing house ART, 2010. - S. 137-140.
Wikipedia site