Year: 2021, Number: 1, Pages: 82-105
The State Nature Reserve "Norsky" was founded on February 2, 1998. The reserve is located between the rivers Selemdzha and Nora and occupies the southern spurs of the Jagda ridge and the adjacent part of the Amur-Zeya plain; in Selemdzhinsky district of the Amur region. The reserve area is 211168 hectares (the water area is 1952 hectares). The Norsky Reserve is the first swamp reserve in the Far East of Russia. The main purpose of its foundation is protection of typical southern taiga low-mountain ecosystems of the Northern Amur region and their inherent flora and fauna, as well as valuable wetlands of the Amur-Zeya lowland. The modern territory of the reserve is a flat terrain, with a smooth rise to the east and north. The height of the hills is on average 250–300 m above the sea level, the absolute height reaches 370 meters. The climate is ultracontinental with monsoon elements: harsh long winters and warm humid summers. The territory of the reserve is located in the area of permafrost of the island character, on the border of zones of the middle and southern taiga; Siberian, Okhotsk and Manchurian plant species are found here. The forest vegetation occupies 54 % of the reserve area. The main forest-forming species are Larix gmelinii and the Betula platyphylla. The rocky vegetation is very peculiar with its unique narrow-local endemic Saxifraga selemdzhensis found only at the mouth of the Nora River. Currently, 525 species of vascular plants, 251 species of mosses, 334 species of lichens are found in the reserve, 34 species of higher fungi are known. The fauna of the reserve is represented by 39 mammal species, 34 fish species, 237 bird species, 5 amphibian species, 4 reptile species, 249 insect species, and 109 arachnid species. The largest migratory population of the Capreolus pygargus numbering up to 5 – 7 thousand heads lives here.