Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve

The Southeast Svalbard Nature Reserve (Norwegian Søraust Svalbard nature reserve ) is a 21,826 km ² large nature reserve in Norway's Svalbard archipelago. It covers 15,426 km ² and 6400 km ² land surface of the sea, making it the second largest nature reserve of Spitsbergen.

Established in 1973 to Nature Reserve include the large islands Barentsøya and Edgeøya as well as a number of small islands as Kükenthaløya, Halvmåneøya that Tusenøyane and Ryke Yseøyane. Geologic prevail sediments before from the Triassic, which are locally rich in fossils. In some places like the Frankenhalvøya peninsula in the north Barentsøyas Doleritfelsen are encountered. The Tusenøyane, Ryke Yseøyane and Halvmåneøya consist entirely of this igneous rock. The landscape of the major islands is characterized by mesas and differs in that sharp peaks and deep fjords drastic lack of West Spitsbergen. The climate is less influenced by the Gulf Stream and thus cooler and drier than in western Spitsbergen. The marine areas of the nature reserve are almost all year covered by pack ice. Larger parts of the islands, however, are unglaciated and relatively rich in vegetation. In vascular plants, there are a number of stone crushing and buttercup, Scheuchzers cotton grass and arctic poppy, along with lichens and mosses are common.

In the entire nature reserve is a year-round encounter polar bears. The reindeer population is estimated at 450 animals on Barentsøya and about 2500 on Edgeøya. Also widespread is the arctic fox. In the sea live walrus, ringed seals, bearded seals as well as Minke and beluga whales. In the southwest Edgeøyas there on the cliffs at Negerpynten and Kvalpyntfjellet at two breeding colonies of Eissturmvogels, which are also important for other seabirds such as kittiwakes, thick-billed murres, black guillemots and auks. On many of the small and shallow Tusenøyane breed -footed geese, barnacle geese, brent geese, King Eider, sea beach skiers and glaucous gulls. The Southeast Svalbard Nature Reserve is therefore reported by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area ( SJ011 ). The only freshwater fish of Spitsbergen, the Arctic char, occurs only in a lake in northern Barentsøyas in the nature reserve.

The protection in the reserve also includes historically or culturally significant sites. In many places you will find traces of Whaling, which was operated from the 17th century here. On Halvmåneøya there is a cemetery from this period. Especially on the west coast and on the Edgeøyas Tusenøyane remnants of the winter huts pomorischer hunter from the 18th and early 19th centuries have been preserved. The trapper's hut Björneborg on Halvmåneøya until 1970, the best hunting ground for polar bears, was restored in 1995. It was also utilized by "Polar Bear King " Henry Rudi, who killed only 713 bears.

Gallery

Stem Leimkraut

Bird colony on the Freemanstraße

A polar bear explores the home country of the Franks hut Peninsula