Current view: Text account
Site description (2002 baseline):
Site location and context
Pripyatski National Park is located in the wide middle Pripyat floodplain in the interfluve of its two right-hand tributaries, the Stviga and the Ubort. The site is a vast low-lying flatland inclined towards the Pripyat floodplain. The Stviga and the Ubort rivers form the natural western and eastern boundaries of the Park correspondingly. The central part of the Park is crossed by another river, the Svinovod: the river is just 30 km long, but very affluent. Apart from the natural water bodies, there are also several artificial ditches and canals constructed in the late 19th century for timber shipment. The overall length of the canals is 280 km. Beavers and natural processes contribute to the dilapidation of the canals, which thus cannot have a significant influence on the hydrological regime of the Park. There are more than 40 small lakes within the Park's boundaries.
Out of 246 bird species recorded for the Park, 66 are listed in the National Red Data Book. The following globally threatened species breed: Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla (2-3 pairs), Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga (4-6 pairs), Corncrake Crex crex, and Great Snipe Gallinago media. The large amount of species of national and international importance confirms the value of the site for biodiversity conservation.Non-bird biodiversity: The fauna of the site includes 49 mammal species, with four species listed in the National Red Data Book: Common Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius, Badger Meles meles, Lynx Felis linx, and European Bison Bison bonasusThe flora of the Park is represented by 827 upper plant species, of which 18 are included in the National Red Data Book.
The southern border of the Park is represented by sandy hills and dunes overgrownwith pinewoods. The dunes are followed by a wide strip of vast bog and transition mires (the biggest in Polesie), followed by a belt of fens. The fens are followed by a strip of waterlogged, sometimes inaccessible, alder woods interspersed with open or shrub-overgrown fens. The alder woods are followed by a belt of broad-leafed forests dominated by oaks. The oak forests are a defining feature of the unique Polesian landscape. At a distance from the river they form uniform stands; closer to the channel they mix with vast open floodplain meadows and numerous oxbows.Limited forestry, hay-cutting, cattle pasturing, and hunting are the common economic activities.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Disruptions in the hydrological regime of the Pripyat floodplain due to drainage and construction of embankments.
Vegetation successions Disruptions in the hydrological regime and the cessation of hay-making means that the floodplain meadows are being overgrown with shrubs: this reduces habitat and biological diversity.
Forestry After the zapovednik was re-organized into a National Park economic activities were significantly intensified, which has had a negative influence on the ecosystems. Forestry has been shifted away from the core area and is now carried out outside the borders of the Park.
Fires incur severe damage to the Park's ecosystems. They are large scale and frequent.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Prypiackija baloty (Belarus). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/prypiackija-baloty-iba-belarus on 22/11/2024.
