Lena Delta Wildlife Reserve (or Lena Delta State Nature Reserve)

Lena Delta Wildlife Reserve (or Lena Delta State Nature Reserve) – wildlife reserve set up in 1985 and located in the delta of the Lena River in the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Russia. It has a total land area of 61,000 km², making it the largest protected area in Russia. The wildlife reserve includes the Lena Delta itself, some islands in the Laptev Sea, and lowland areas between the branches of the Lena River as well as some dry tundra areas of the Chekanovskiy Ridge spur. L. is dominated by wetlands and Arctic tundra lands. 40 % of the L. area is taken up by lakes, rivers, and river anabranches. L. is mainly aimed at conserving aquatic and a semiaquatic bird species. The fauna and flora of this natural reserve include 32 species of mammals, 88 species of birds, and 633 species of plants. The ichthyofauna of L. is represented by: Siberian white salmon, muksun, broad whitefish, vendace, sturgeon, peled, and other rare and endangered species of fish.