Vasyugan swamps are the largest swamps in the world on the Vasyugan River in Western Siberia. Vasyugan swamps on the world map. Vasyugan swamps: interesting information and facts Great Vasyugan swamp interesting facts

03.05.2020

In the early to mid-20th century, large-scale drainage of swamps began around the world: vast territories were drained in Europe, Asia, North and South America for the needs of civilization. While in Russia, most of the swamps continued to grow under the cover of dense Siberian forests.

The debate over which swamp is the largest in the world continues to this day. An old Russian proverb immediately comes to mind: "Every devil praises his swamp." In fact, this is what happens: every scientist, every researcher tries to convince the others that it is his swamps that are the largest. But the thing is that it is rather difficult to measure the exact dimensions of the swamp: it is almost impossible to determine exactly where it begins and where it ends. But anyway, Big Vasyugan very similar to the same swamp, especially since it continues to grow.

The largest swamp massif on our planet is located in Siberia between the Ob and Irtysh rivers. According to the latest data, the total area of the Vasyugan swamp is 53,000 km², the length from north to south is 322 km, from west to east - 575 km. 53,000 km² is a very large area, surpassing a good half of the countries of the world.

The formation of the Vasyugan swamp massif began approximately 10,000 years ago, probably from the water reserves left after the Ice Age. But most of the swamp area was acquired relatively recently: 75% of the territories were swamped over the past 5 centuries. In other words, the Siberian swamps are growing in volume and this is good news, especially considering the environmental situation in the world.

Those who consider swamps to be a vile, fetid, disgusting place will be greatly disappointed when they see Big Vasyuganskoye. Wherever you look - around the water, water and lush vegetation. This is a real paradise for animals and plants, all conditions here contribute to their development and prosperity. In addition, for thousands of kilometers there is not a single settlement of a person who, voluntarily or inadvertently, could harm nature.

The swamp massif is the main source of fresh water in its region. Most of the Siberian rivers originate here, feeding on the incalculable water reserves of the Great Vasyugan. More than 800 thousand lakes of various sizes are located on the territory of the massif.

In addition to the role of a home for animals and plants, swamps also perform at least one more important function. Peat, which is usually so rich in swamps, largely counteracts the greenhouse effect by absorbing and sequestering carbon atoms. At the same time, vegetation, which is very abundant here, saturates the atmosphere with oxygen. Taking into account the size of the Great Vasyugan swamp, we come to the conclusion that it is one of the most powerful opponents of the greenhouse effect on our planet.

However, not everything is as good as it could be. The fact is that under the Vasyugan swamps there are almost the largest peat reserves in the world and very significant oil deposits. And as it usually happens: where there is money for making money, a person also appears. A network of mining and processing plants has already been deployed in the swamps. In this regard, the administration of the Tomsk region created a complex reserve "Vasyugansky". But, more importantly, not so long ago they started talking seriously about giving the status of a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site to the Great Vasyugan Swamp.

The man did quite a few stupid things, for example, he set up a hydroelectric power station, set up a nuclear power plant on the faults of the earth's crust, plowed the Kazakh steppes under the so-called virgin lands, got dust storms that swept entire villages, drilled drilling wells all over the planet.

Not without the help of man and the disappearance of the Aral Sea. The thickness of silt deposits in the Sea of Azov reaches more than twenty meters, about the same, or even more in the Black Sea, and there are suggestions that as a result of the vital activity of marine mollusks and microorganisms, these deposits may one day emerge and the seas will become just underground reservoirs.

Even Lake Baikal, which we are so proud of, is gradually turning into a swamp, like all reservoirs with stagnant water. This is how the coastal zone looks like - green mud instead of crystal water. The marsh algae "spirogyra" has captured vast expanses along the coast:

Nature, as it were, begins to take revenge on us for its barbaric attitude towards it, for the destruction of all life and perhaps not far off that day, the oxygen necessary for our life will simply disappear and then new forms of life will appear on earth instead of us. Which are already emerging in our swamps.

In the center of the Siberian Federal District, between the Ob and Irtysh rivers, there is the Vasyugan Swamp, the largest not only in Russia, but also in the world.

Most of this unique natural area is located on the territory of the Tomsk region, including the Novosibirsk, Omsk and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Districts.

The area of this swamp, as already mentioned, is the largest in the world and is about 53-55 thousand square meters. km, which exceeds the size of such European countries as

The dimensions of the swamp in length and width are approximately 570 by 320 km.

According to scientists, the waterlogging of this area began about 10,000 years ago and continues to this day.

- Over the past 500 years, the swamp has quadrupled in size.

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, on the site of the current single swamp massif, there were 19 separate plots with a total area of 45,000 square meters. km, but gradually the quagmire swallowed up the surroundings, like the onset of desert sands.

Today, this region is still a classic example of active, "aggressive" swamp formation: the interesting fact is that the swamps continue to grow, increasing on average by 800 hectares per year.

The entire Internet is crackling because the Chinese are cutting down the taiga in Siberia, but the fact that every year 800 hectares grows only in the Vasyugan Swamp is of no concern to anyone.

There are more than 800 thousand lakes here, many rivers and streams originate, and the moisture evaporated from the surface maintains the climatic balance and is carried even to the territory of Eastern Siberia and Kazakhstan. The climate in the area of the Vasyugan swamp is continental and humid. The average temperature in January is -20 °C, in July +17 °C. Snow cover 40–80 cm high lies from October to April on average 175 days a year.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a resolution on the creation of the Vasyugansky state natural reserve on the territory of the largest swamp in the Northern Hemisphere. It is located in the adjacent territories of the Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions, the press service of the Russian government reported.

Flora and fauna

Wetlands are 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.

Among the plants of swamps and lakes, various medicinal herbs, as well as berries, which are found in abundance in swamps, are of primary value: cranberries, cloudberries, blueberries, etc.

Vasyugan swamps consider a variety of insects, animals, fish, birds to be their home. During the migration period, waterfowl and waders stop to rest on them.

According to the Institute of Animal Ecology and Systematics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, up to 60% of the total number of ducks fly in the period of spring migration with a diffuse front through swamp systems, and only 40% - along the valleys of large rivers.

Godwit and curlew, various birds of prey, including the peregrine falcon, nest in the marshes. It was on the Vasyugan plain that the thin-billed curlew was last seen, which is considered to be an almost extinct species of birds.

peregrine falcon

peregrine falcon

In places where swamps border forests and rivers and lakes lie, elks, minks, sables, otters are found, hazel grouses and wood grouses are found. Until the mid-80s of the last century, reindeer were found in the swamps, but today their population has practically disappeared.

In the tributaries of the rivers originating from the Great Vasyugan swamp, there are about 20 species of fish. In recent years, bream, pike perch, carp, and verkhovka have become common in local reservoirs. Vulnerable and rare species of fish in the area are nelma, peled, lamprey, and ruff.

The significance of the swamp for the region

The Vasyugan swamp is the main source of fresh water in the region (water reserves up to 400 km³), this is the region where there are huge peat reserves. Explored reserves are more than 1 billion tons (2% of the world), the average depth is 2.4 m, the maximum is 10 m. The most important function of the swamp is to purify the atmosphere, for which it is called a giant natural filter. The peat bogs of Siberia absorb toxic substances, sequester carbon and thus prevent the greenhouse effect by saturating the air with oxygen.

Historical facts

The deserted Vasyugan moss peat bogs 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.

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 found in peat bogs, by 1720 in the Narym Territory, the newly arrived population lived in 12 settlements.

From 1835, a systematic settlement of exiles began (a new influx of exiles came to Vasyugan in the 1930s–1950s).

Black Migration and Black Gold

Later, the more active development of Western Siberia was facilitated by the landlessness of the peasants of the central provinces as a result of the reforms of 1861, and especially the Stolypin agrarian Russophobic reform of 1906. "for thinning the European part of Russia". When the whole villages of peasants were loaded into Stolypin wagons, along with cattle and all belongings, and resettled in Siberia. The corpses of animals and people were buried right along the railway track at the stop stations. People not adapted to such a cruel climate of Siberia in the first winters simply died out.

The entire Internet knows about the Ukrainian Holodomor, but no one writes about how Stolypin destroyed the Russian people with his reforms. They tried to erase the whole truth about Stolypin's atrocities from memory and even try to erect monuments to him. But the Russian people don't forget anything...

In 1949, oil was found in the western part of the swamp, the Kargasoksky district was nicknamed the “oil Klondike”, by the early 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 began.
In 1976, the Nizhnevartovsk-Parabel-Kuzbass gas pipeline.

Ecology

Despite the almost complete absence of settlements in the area of the Vasyugan swamps, with the development of civilization, a variety of factors began to have a negative impact on a unique natural object. Peat extraction disturbs the natural landscape of the Vasyugan plain, there is a problem of deforestation, the negative consequences of draining swamps and poaching lead to the destruction of unique flora and fauna.

Heavy tracked vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, construction and drilling activities, oil spills and the use of water in drilling processes are damaging the swamp ecosystem. Industrial water runoff constantly enters the rivers, tourists, poachers, hunters leave tons of garbage behind.

Also, the second stages of rockets launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome pose a big problem: falling into swamps, they pollute them with the remnants of highly toxic rocket fuel - heptyl. Analysis of samples of water, soil and plants from raised bogs collected in contaminated areas showed that the content of heptyl in some of them is 5 times higher than the MPC.

Swamp fires

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. As a result, many intramarsh lakes of pyrogenic genesis appear, forest stands and many animals die. The growth of lakes reduces the flow of water from the already swampy forests.

In the 1920s, a seven-year fire in peat bogs on the territory of the modern Northern region of the Novosibirsk region led to the formation of the largest lake Tenis in the south of Western Siberia. Subsequently, its basin deepened in some places to 11–18 meters, the area of the water surface approached 19 square meters. km, and the total water reserves accumulated from swampy watersheds are about 47 million cubic meters. m.

UNESCO reserve

Assessing the role and importance of the Great Vasyugan Swamp as a complex and multifunctional ecosystem, and taking into account its uniqueness and significance, as well as the increasing scale of anthropogenic impacts, we have to recognize the urgent problem of its protection. However, for a long time, the Vasyugan swamps were not even included in the preliminary lists of objects that need to be given the status of specially protected.

In 2006 year. The administration of the Tomsk region has created a complex reserve "Vasyugansky". Currently, it is planned to give it the status of a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. The Vasyugansky reserve implies a ban on hunting and logging. Although this 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 recruit former hunters as gamekeepers to fight poaching.

As a first step in environmental and practical actions, it is necessary to form a state interregional complex reserve of federal significance in most of the Great Vasyugan swamp, including border forest-bog complexes.

A separate item in the program for the protection of the Vasyugan swamp should be the program for reforming the Russian rocket and space industry, which provides for the abandonment of the use of heptyl and nitrogen tetroxide as rocket fuel and oxidizer, as well as the transfer of the main rocket launch pad from Baikonur to the Vostochny cosmodrome under construction in the Amur Region.

From the foregoing, it becomes quite clear that the Vasyugan swamp massif is not only a unique natural phenomenon in 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.

This unique Russian territory is worth a whole cycle of materials and galleries of wonderful photographs.

However, there is practically no material on the web for both reading and viewing. If we are looking for places in Russia that can be called real miracles, then the Great Vasyugan Marshes should take one of the most worthy places on this list.

picking cranberries

picking cranberries

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.

The vast territories captured by swamps do not at all mean that their entire area is a continuous quagmire and mud. Yes, there are many bogs and moving to many places in a number of months of the year is deadly. But where there are no bogs, Vasyugan swamps, due to high humidity and mild climate, can amaze the most biased connoisseur with natural beauties.

Vasyugan swamps are often called the "Russian Amazon", comparing this vast and wild area with the famous wet jungles of South America.

But a trip to a part of Western Siberia that is practically untouched by man - Vasyuganye, as it is called, can surpass any jungle in its extremeness, becoming a real adventure on the verge of survival in an unknown land.

Swamps are a huge unsolved secret treasury that gives and reveals information about past times and landscapes, and helps to comprehend historical secrets.

Often they keep the tools of labor and wars of bygone times buried in them, and even the remains of people in almost perfect condition. Swamp moss sphagnum and its decomposition products, due to the special microflora and specific chemical reactions, make the human body incorruptible.

Among the Vasyugan swamps, about a hundred abandoned villages are lost, the entire population of which is only ghosts. And among the peat - and gas producers there are many terrible stories about anomalous phenomena occurring in the swamps.

Visiting the Vasyugan swamps is quite dangerous and requires special training and experience in moving through such places.

Vasyugan swamp is rightfully considered the largest swamp in the world - its area is equal to 53-55 thousand square kilometers. Swamps are located near the interfluve of the Ob and Irtysh, on the Vasyugan valley with the borders of the Novosibirsk, Tomsk and Omsk regions.

In 2007, the Vasyugan swamps were included in the preliminary list of UNESCO sites.

General information

Vasyugan swamps are a phenomenon created by nature, there is nothing like it anywhere in the world, their area reaches the size of Estonia. They are distinguished by the fact that they consist of natural complexes built extremely complex and specific, these are special types of swamp massifs. The swamps are located between the subzone of small-leaved forests and the southern taiga subzone. The salinity and leaching of the soil in different periods of the formation of swamps was different. This explains the great diversity of local vegetation. The north and south of the swamp are also different from each other. The Vasyugan swamps also represent a geographical reference value; they can be characterized as a standard of a well-bogged area in the south of the forests of Western Siberia.

The age of the swamps is also impressive, according to scientists about 10,000 years and from the moment of their formation, they constantly increase their area like a desert, capturing the surrounding lands, taking them away from the surrounding places that are not occupied by any structures.

As you know, at first there were nineteen swamps, separately located. To date, they have merged into one single swamp, called the Great Vasyugan swamp. It plays a huge role in the life of the region. The swamp is a deposit of huge reserves of fresh water in this area. There are a lot of minerals in the swamp. Also, the area in the swamp is an example of primeval wildlife.

More than eight hundred lakes can be found in this area. Many rivers and streams start their journey from here. And the evaporating water preserves the microclimate of these places and even reaches the territories of Kazakhstan and Eastern Siberia.

Of great interest is the Great Vasyugan Swamp from the point of view of the economy. Peat alone makes up two percent of the world's reserves, there are more than a billion tons of it here, this is an enormous amount. Conducted in the swamps and the development and search for gas and oil reserves. This threatens the existence of the swamps themselves, their microclimate is under serious threat, and this primarily poses a great danger to the flora and fauna of the swamp massif. Also, the swamps are very harmed by the fact that the second stages of rockets launched there are dropped into the swamps from the Baikonur cosmodrome. All this spoils the ecological situation, infecting the surroundings with heptyl residues. All this harms the ecological situation of the swamp massif.

There is a legend among the people about the origin of the Vasyugan swamps. It turns out that the Devil himself created the swamps, he created the land, liquefied by water with thickets of coarse grass and crooked trees. The legend says that at first there was no land on earth, there was only water around and God walked on it. One fine day, he saw a cloudy bubble, which first burst and released the Devil. God ordered him to bring the earth from the bottom, which he did. However, the Devil cheated and took the earth by the cheeks. From the land received, God made dry land with all the necessary vegetation. But trees and bushes began to grow in the mouth of the Devil, he could not stand it and spat out the earth, and the Vasyugan swamps appeared.
In the year 82 of the nineteenth century, information began to reach the West Siberian department of the Russian Geographical Society that Old Believers-schismatics appeared and settled along the upper reaches of the Vasyugan River and the surrounding rivers flowing into it, who set up houses for themselves there, organized arable land and vegetable gardens, started cattle and live, indulging in their pious canons. Special Officer Grigorovsky N.P. counted 726 people Old Believers, both men and women, including children, over two thousand miles.
After the start of land reforms, P.A. Stolypin in the vicinity of the Vasyugan swamps, about two hundred thousand family migrants settled in the Tomsk province and up to 75,000 walkers looking for land for farming.
For the city of Tomsk, Vasyugan swamps are the same symbol as Klyuchevskaya Sopka is for Kamchatka.
The drilling of oil rigs and oil spills in the drilling sites pose a great danger to the local microclimate. Also, as mentioned above, the second stages of rockets dropped from the nearest cosmodrome are also a danger. All this has a bad effect on the environment and can lead to the gradual extinction of the ecosystem.
It is very interesting that with the construction of the Nizhnevartovsk-Parabel-Kuzbass gas pipeline, gas came to the homes of Tomsk residents and factories and factories in Kuzbass from the Severo-Vasyuganskoye, Myldzhinskoye and Luginetskoye fields. But the residents inhabiting the vicinity of these fields do not receive blue fuel for themselves.
The "Vasyugansky" nature reserve, located on the territory of the Vasyugan swamps, prohibits hunting and logging. But many of the surrounding residents earn their living by hunting. The management of the reserve is working to attract hunters to rangers to protect the territory from poachers.
The settlement of oil workers in the vicinity is called New Vasyugan, which echoes the name of New Vasyuki, allegedly owned by Ostap Bender. But neither in the book nor in the movies does this name exist. Such a toponym was formed and is popular among the people thanks to the phrase that Vasyuki will be New Moscow, and Moscow will be called Old Vasyuki.

Vasyugan swamps appeared about 10 thousand years ago. At first, there were 19 separate wetlands here, but as a result of a humid climate and topographical features, the bog began to absorb the surroundings.

Scientists have calculated that over the past 500 years, the swamps have quadrupled in size and continue to grow every year by an average of 800 hectares.

Local population

The territory of the Vasyugan swamps in the old days was called the Narym Territory. The ancestors of the indigenous people - the Khanty and the Selkuts - settled on these lands at least three thousand years ago. At archaeological excavations, scientists have found cult objects, hunting weapons and fragments of dugouts.

There were always few local residents in the Narym Territory: by 1720 there were only 12 settlements. In addition to the natives, pioneers and conquerors of the Siberian Khanate, Kerzhak Old Believers and exiles lived here - political prisoners were sent here since 1835. “God created paradise, and the devil - the Narym region” - so the first settlers said. Peasants who came to these territories after the Peasant Reform of 1861 learned how to grow potatoes, turnips, and carrots on local land. Fish, meat, furs and berries were exchanged in Tomsk for flour, salt and fabrics.

Minerals and the importance of wetlands for the region

Vasyugan swamps contain more than a billion tons of peat, which is about two percent of the reserves of the entire planet. In 1949, oil was found in the western part of the territory, after which the area was nicknamed the "oil Klondike". By the 1970s, more than 30 fields had been discovered, and an oil and gas pipeline began to be built here. Due to the constant intervention of drilling rigs and tracked vehicles, the ecology of the swamps has become more vulnerable. Therefore, today most of the territory is reserved places. Vasyugan swamps affect the ecosystem of all adjacent areas. They provide fresh water to the entire territory of Western Siberia - there are about 800 thousand small lakes. By sequestering carbon, swamps prevent the greenhouse effect, for which they are called the "giant natural filter".

Vasyugan swamps are the largest in the world. They are located in the center somewhere in the area between the Irtysh and Ob rivers. Most of this natural zone is located in the Omsk and Novosibirsk regions, while the Vasyugan swamp impresses with its size. The area of this natural zone is approximately 55 thousand square kilometers. This figure exceeds the size of many countries, such as Estonia, Denmark and Switzerland. The length of the swamp is 320 from north to south and 570 kilometers from west to east.

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, it 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.

swamp climate

Vasyugan swamps, photos of which indicate their huge size, have a unique flora and fauna. 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.

Animal and plant world

Among the plants of the Vasyugan swamp, all kinds of medicinal herbs are of particular value, as well as some types of berries, including blueberries, cloudberries, cranberries and others. It is worth noting that this natural area is home to a variety of birds, fish, animals and insects. Waders and some species of waterfowl stop here for rest during the migration period.

Curlews, godwitches and birds of prey, including the peregrine falcon, build their nests in the swamp. Many of the varieties are considered rare. It was in this area that the slender-billed curlew was last seen. This species is practically extinct. In those places where swamps border forests and rivers, you can see capercaillie, hazel grouse, otters, sables, minks and elks.

Until about the mid-80s, reindeer could be found on the Vasyugan Plain. At the moment, the population of these amazing animals has practically disappeared. In the tributaries of the rivers, which originate in the swamps, there are about 20 species of fish. In local reservoirs there are verkhovka, carp, pike perch and bream.

Vasyugan swamps, where fishing and hunting are prohibited, are the habitat of such rare and vulnerable fish species as ruff, lamprey, peled, nelma.

The benefits of the Vasyugan swamp

At the moment, the Vasyugan swamp is a source of fresh water. The reserve is about 400 cubic kilometers. 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 should be noted that the Vasyugan peat swamp absorbs toxic substances, binds carbon, saturates the air with oxygen and prevents the formation of a greenhouse effect.

Ecology of the natural area

In the area of the Vasyugan swamp, there are no settlements at all. However, as a result of the development of civilization, some factors influence the natural zone. Peat extraction greatly disturbs the natural landscape of the plain. In addition, there is a problem associated with deforestation, drainage of swamps, as well as poaching. All this negatively affects the ecology of the Vasyugan Plain. Which leads to the destruction of some rare species of animals, insects and birds.

Various heavy equipment, peat mining, oil spills cause severe damage to the ecosystem. Effluent from many industries often ends up in rivers. Many problems also arise because of the second stages of rockets that were launched from Baikonur. Once in the swamp, they pollute it with the remnants of heptyl, a highly toxic fuel.