Description of the attraction
One of the natural attractions of Primorsky Krai is the amazing Far Eastern Marine Reserve. The reserve was organized in March 1978 for educational activities and research work.
The marine reserve is divided into four sections: three of them are located in the Khasansky district of the Primorsky Territory, and one more - in the Pervomaisky district of the city of Vladivostok, on Popov Island. In addition, islands, some sections of the mainland coastline and the adjacent water area, with an area of about 64316 hectares, are assigned to the reserve. The maritime boundaries of the Far Eastern Marine Reserve are surrounded by a marine protection zone.
The Far Eastern Marine Reserve is a model of the unique coastal, island and marine nature in southern Primorye. There are more than 5000 species of plants and animals on the territory of the reserve.
The flora of the marine reserve consists of 706 plant species. Phytoplankton abound in the upper layers of the water. The dominant species are 11 species of diatom algae, which cause water bloom. Calcareous algae dominate the rocky habitats of starfish, urchins and mussels. The vegetation on the islands of the marine reserve is different and depends on the size of the island, ecological conditions and the degree of anthropogenic influence. But despite this, on all the islands you can find such plants as the Kobomugi sedge, the Japanese rank, the seaside glenia, ammodenia (long-tailed duck), the pseudo-grass, the seaside cereal and others.
The marine fauna of the Far Eastern Reserve is also quite diverse. In Peter the Great Bay, marine invertebrates are dominated by such small animals as bristle-maxillary, various crustaceans, ciliates, appendicularia, ctenophores, jellyfish and salps. Isopods, polychaete worms, numerous bivalves and gastropods predominate in the tidal zone.
Of the marine mammals in the marine reserve, there is a rare species of seal - the seal. In the coastal protection zone, you can find the Amur forest cat, Amur tiger, leopard, black vulture, white-tailed eagle and Steller's sea eagle.
