Darwin Nature Reserve

The Darwin Reserve was founded on 18 July 1945 — not to protect pristine nature as such, but to study how nature changes after the flooding of the Rybinsk reservoir. It covers 112,630 hectares on the north-western shore, in the Cherepovets district of Vologda Oblast and the Braytovsky district of Yaroslavl Oblast. The territory is a laboratory of the 'Russian Atlantis': pine forests grew on former beds, and unique floating peat islands with grass and trees drift along the shallows. Here is the world's highest density of white-tailed eagle nests and Europe's highest density of osprey nests; the Red Book of Russia lists the golden eagle, peregrine, black stork, eagle-owl and lady's slipper. Since 2002 it has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve. For visitors there is the Museum of Nature and the birds-of-prey rehabilitation centre 'Orlashin domik' (since 2016); the base is the village of Borok. Deeper access is only by arrangement with the administration, but the surrounding shores of the Braytovo district are open for fishing and birdwatching.