Kandalaksha Nature Reserve

Kandalaksha Nature Reserve
Russian: Кандалакшский заповедник (Also: Kandalakshsky)
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
Kandalaksha Zapovednik
Location of Reserve
Location	Murmansk Oblast
Nearest city	Kandalaksha
Coordinates	67°4′34″N 32°31′30″E / 67.07611°N 32.52500°E / 67.07611; 32.52500Coordinates: 67°4′34″N 32°31′30″E / 67.07611°N 32.52500°E / 67.07611; 32.52500
Area	70,530 hectares (174,300 acres)
Established	1932 (1932)
Governing body	Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Russia)
Website	http://www.kandalaksha-reserve.ru/

Kandalaksha Nature Reserve (Russian: Кандалакшский заповедник) (also Kandalakshsky) is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict ecological reserve) on the south shore of Kandalaksha Bay in the Murmansk and Karelia regions on the opening to the White Sea. The reserve also includes two small sectors on the northern coast of the Kola peninsula on the Barents Sea; notably, the warm Atlantic current causes the northern sectors on the Barents Sea to be warmer than the more southerly White Sea sectors. Over 550 islands are covered in the boundaries of the reserve. It is one of the oldest nature reserves in Russia, created in 1932 to protect the marine habitats and waterfowl of the region, particularly the eider. The reserve is situated in the Kandalakshsky District, Kolsky District, and Lovozersky District of Murmansk Oblast. The nearest city, Kandalaksha, is at the northwest entrance to the Kandalaksha Gulf, about 5 km from the nearest point in the reserve. Since 1976, the reserve has been part of the RAMSAR wetland site of international importance "Kandalaksha Bay". It covers an area of 70,530 ha (272.3 sq mi).

The dominant topography is sea-island archipelago, with surrounding marine areas and adjacent coastal zones. The Kandalaksha Bay portion of the reserve covers a significant shore-side area, and numerous islands along the southern coast. Some of the islands are forested; others are skerries (small rounded rocsk without vegetation). The terrain is coastal/island taigi in the southern sector. The Barents Sea sectors to the north are mostly coastal tundra. 74% of the reserve is marine, the remainder is terrestrial.

Kandalaksha is located in the Scandinavian and Russian taiga ecoregion, which is situated in Northern Europe between tundra in the north and temperate mixed forests in the south. It is covers parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the northern part of European Russia, being the largest ecoregion in Europe. The ecoregion is characterized by coniferous forests dominated by Pinus sylvestris (in drier locations), often with an understory of Juniperus communis, Picea abies and Picea obovata and a significant admixture of Betula pubescens and Betula pendula. Larix sibirica is characteristic of the eastern part of the ecoregion.