Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve
Description
Three-quarters of Nordaustlandet is covered by glaciers, the largest being Austfonna at 7,000 square kilometres (2,700 sq mi). The landscape has low, rounded hills and plains, created by glaciation during former ice ages. Most of the reserve has little or no vegetation, and the reserve belongs to the polar desert. The nature reserve is used by scientists and tourists, the latter commonly sailing eastwards along Hinlopen Strait or round Nordaustlandet. The most popular places to visit are Sjuøyane, Alkefjellet, Bråsvellbreen and Kvitøya.
There are some cultural heritage sites within the reserve, including a Russian Orthodox cross on Krossøya, and Andréeneset on Kvitøya, the starting point for the S. A. Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition of 1897. There is also a winter camp at the shores of Sorgfjorden, which hosted an 1899–1900 Swedish-Russian Arc-of-Meridian Expedition to measure the meridian arc. In Rijpfjorden there is a German meteorological station from World War II.
Fauna
The Kong Karls Land archipelago serves as the most important breeding ground for polar bears in Svalbard and Franz Josef Land; therefore, the archipelago is completely off limit to all visitors. Walruses have resting places in the reserve. At Alkefjleet, Brünnich's guillemots have a nesting ground, and also brent geese can be found breeding in the reserve, as can Sabine's and ivory gulls. Other important breeding areas for seabirds include Sjuøyane, Lågøya and Hinlopen Strait. Common animals within the nature reserve is Arctic fox and Svalbard reindeer. A large part of the reserve, including the sea-cliffs, has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding population of 80–90 pairs of ivory gulls.
References
- ^ "Protected Areas in Svalbard" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
- ^ "Protected areas". Governor of Svalbard. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "North-east Svalbard Nature Reserve". Important Bird Areas factsheet. BirdLife International. 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-25.