January 11 – World Day of Reserves and National Parks

A nature reserve is a specially protected natural area (SPNA) established to ensure the natural flow of valuable natural processes, preserve them in their natural state, and study them.

A national park is an SPNA established for the purpose of preserving, restoring (reproducing) valuable natural complexes and objects, and their rational (sustainable) use in the course of environmental protection, scientific, educational, tourism, and recreational activities.

There is one nature reserve and four national parks in Belarus.

Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve is the only nature reserve in Belarus within the system of specially protected natural areas (SPNAs). It was founded in 1925 to protect beavers, which were endangered at the time. Its area is 85,200 ha. The reserve is one of the natural benchmarks of Western Europe.

National parks:

National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" is located in the southwest of Belarus, covering territories of the Brest and Grodno regions. Its area is 153,000 ha. This is the oldest protected area in Europe. The first mentions of it date back to the early 15th century. Belovezhskaya Pushcha has the status of a UNESCO biosphere reserve, a site of international importance, important for birds. In 1992, by UNESCO decision, a part of the old-growth forests of Belovezhskaya Pushcha was included in the World Heritage List.

National Park "Braslav Lakes" is located in the Braslav district of the Vitebsk region (on the border with Latvia). Its area is 64,500 ha. The national park was established in 1995. It has the status of a site of international importance, important for birds.

Nationalpark "Narochansky"was established in 1999 and is located on the territory of three regions – Minsk, Vitebsk, and Grodno. A large part of the park is located in the Myadel district of the Minsk region. The area of the national park is 87,400 ha. The main treasure of the national park is the largest lake in Belarus, Lake Naroch (area 80 km2).

National Park "Pripyatsky"is located in the south of Belarus on the territory of Petrikov, Zhitkovichi, and Lelchitsy districts of the Gomel region. It was established in 1996. Its area is 88,600 ha. It has the status of an internationally important territory for birds.

There are 99 republican nature reserves in Belarus, 9 of which are located in the Vitebsk region, covering an area of 14795.75 ha.

On the territory of Belarus, there are 37 botanical natural monuments of republican significance (parks), 37 geological (boulders, dunes, hills), including 17 in the Vitebsk region, and 29 hydrological (lakes, springs, etc.), 10 of which are in the Vitebsk region.

There are four botanical natural monuments of local significance in the Beshenkovichi district: "Beshenkovichi Palace and Park Ensemble", "Bocheykovo Estate and Park Ensemble", "Solominka Park in Dobrigory", "Estate Complex in Dvor Nizgolovo", and three hydrological natural monuments of local significance – reserves: "Sorzhitsky Mokh", "Lappy", "Koranevsky".