Drevlians Nature Reserve
The Drevlians Nature Reserve is a strict nature reserve of Ukraine that follows along the Uzh River in the Polesia region of north-central Ukraine. Created to protect representative forests and wetlands of the Polesia region, the area experienced contamination from the Chernobyl disaster. The site is 80 km due west of Chernobyl. The reserve is in the administrative district of Narodychi in Zhytomyr Oblast
Topography
The Polesie is a marshy region along the Prypiat River on the border between Ukraine and Belarus. The middle of the Uzh River runs along the northern border of the Drevlyans Reserve, as it flows northeast to meet the Prypiat. Smaller tributaries run north through the reserve into the Uzh. The terrain is flat. The site is roughly rectangular, measuring about by.Climate and ecoregion
The climate of Drevlians is Humid continental climate, warm summer. This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differentials and a warm summer (at least four months averaging over, but no month averaging over.The reserve is located in the Central European mixed forests ecoregion, a temperate hardwood forest covering much of northeastern Europe, from Germany to Russia.
Flora and fauna
Over half of the reserve is forested, with pine, oak, alder, birch, ash, aspen, and hornbeam dominating. Over 800 species of vascular plants have been recorded in the reserve, representing 56% of the species in the Ukrainian Polesi.Over 500 species of fauna have been recorded in the reserve. The Drevlians Nature Reserve is home to lynx, wolf and elk.