Volga Delta: main flows and general information. Volga depth, width, location and other features

Volga Delta (Astrakhan region, Russia) - detailed description, location, reviews, photo and video.

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The Volga delta is the largest river delta in all of Europe in terms of area, starting 46 kilometers from Astrakhan and numbering up to five thousand branches and channels. Over the past century, the delta has grown several times, and its amazing and unique flora and fauna are protected by the state under the name of the Astrakhan Reserve. Travelers from all over Russia and from abroad come here to relax at recreation centers or savage, raft along the delta, go fishing or just enjoy the picturesque Russian nature.

Over the past century, the Volga Delta has grown several times, and its amazing and unique flora and fauna are protected by the state under the name of the Astrakhan Reserve.

How to get there

As a rule, to relax in the Volga Delta, you just need to get to Astrakhan - by plane or by train. So, the flight from Moscow will take 2.5 hours, and by train you will travel 1.5 days. Planes from such Russian cities as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan fly to Astrakhan airport today. You will have to get to the delta itself or its recreation centers from Astrakhan by car or even by boat for about two hours. You can also buy a tour in Astrakhan itself and go on a trip with a group of several people. You can also get to the Volga Delta from Volgograd.

The climate of the Volga delta

The most active season here lasts from April to May, and also from September to October. From June to August, rest and fishing in the Volga delta is hindered not only by heat, but also by midges. True, in August, lotus fields bloom, which often attracts tourists. In general, the climate of the Volga delta, like its nature, is very diverse and close to sharply continental. In contrast to the hot summers, winters are often mild and with little snow. Spring and autumn are very soft and comfortable for rest. However, the weather often changes unexpectedly: the grass will turn green in January, then it will pour soft mushroom rain in July and bring down the heat with coolness.

Entertainment, attractions and excursions of the Volga Delta

Astrakhan Nature Reserve became one of the first in Russia - it was created at the beginning of the 20th century, and at its end a second reserve appeared - Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky. There are also 4 state reserves, many hunting grounds, several state natural monuments, Lake Tinaki with its therapeutic mud and a well-known resort throughout the country. The Volga Delta is an incredibly picturesque region: you will see meadows and desert landscapes, forests and reed beds, lotus fields, many rivers, lakes, islands and sand dunes. The fauna of the Volga delta is also diverse - pink and curly pelicans, cormorants, pheasants, mute swans, Caspian seals, wild boars, antelopes and saigas, as well as more than 280 species of birds.

More than 70 species of fish live in the waters of the delta, including the famous red fish - Russian sturgeon, sterlet, stellate sturgeon, beluga! It is not surprising that fishermen from all over Russia and neighboring countries come here, and the Astrakhan region has been considered the fishing capital of the country for several centuries.

For fishing at your service in the Volga Delta there are many fishing bases With picturesque names: "Golden Lotus", "Reserved Fairy Tale", "Fortune", "Astoria", River House, etc. boats, support of the huntsman, conditions for smoking, salting and drying your fishing trophies and much more. Of course, you can also rest as savages - but then you will have to look for yourself " fishing spots”, and also take into account that some places require a special permit, which, as a rule, fishing bases have.

lotus valley

The Lotus Valley is one of the most beautiful natural sights of the Volga Delta. Many peoples, especially the eastern ones, endow the lotus with sacred properties because of its beauty and healing power. Here, in the Volga delta, all the optimal natural conditions have been created for lotuses. Often they grow to a height of more than two meters. Sailing on a boat through the lotus valley, you will feel like you are in a boundless sea of ​​flowers. It is especially pleasant to travel in the morning when the flower opens. After sunset, the buds close. Lotuses bloom from late July to early September, but since July is a very hot month, plus there are a lot of midges at this time, it is best to come at the end of August.

Sailing on a boat through the lotus valley, you will feel like you are in a boundless sea of ​​flowers.

There are several versions of how the oriental flower ended up in the Volga delta: perhaps it was brought by Buddhist monks, or maybe the seeds of these divine plants were brought by migratory birds. One way or another, tourists from all over the world often come to admire the lotus valley. In addition, according to scientists, the aroma of the lotus itself has healing properties, relieving stress and depression and energizing.

Tract Kordon

In 1995, in the Volga delta, a state natural monument was formed under the name "Tract Kordon". In fact, this is a small steppe area, known and unique in that here, under normal natural conditions, the Mexican prickly pear cactus grows. In early May, this cactus even blooms - large pink or yellow flowers.

Orlovsky forest

The "grove of love" is called the Orlovsky forest, a natural monument in the Volga delta, located 15 km north of the city of Kharabali. Trees were planted here at the beginning of the 20th century - specifically to stop the advancing sands. Over time, the forest of trees unique to these places has grown so much that it has become one of the sights of the region.

There is a belief that if you come here in the fall and pick a leaf from the most powerful tree in the Oryol forest, write the name of your loved one on it, and dry the leaf, then your beloved’s heart will “dry” to you forever.

If you travel along the Volga Delta, also visit Astrakhan itself, which is often called the “Southern Venice”, the Devil’s Settlement in the Ikryaninsky district with evidence of a Golden Horde settlement, take a walk through nature reserves, take a trip by boat or motor ship, relax on one of the many tourist and fishing bases and, finally, taste the delicious sterlet fish soup. In that picturesque region pristine nature, you can always find something to do or entertainment to your liking.

When I was still planning a visit to Astrakhan, I heard surprise more than once: "Why do you need to go there in August?! You'll cook there!" But there was a reason for this: after all, it was at this time that lotuses bloom in the Volga delta.
And if chronologically I was on lotuses on the penultimate day of the expedition, then in fact it was the culmination of my journey through the steppes and deserts. But the secret world of the Volga delta is not limited to lotuses alone. After all, these places are sometimes called the "Volga jungle" for a reason.

If you want to see only the lotus, then in fact it is not necessary to turn to the services of travel agencies: whole thickets of the "Caspian rose" are found near many villages where the lotus grows like reeds. However, I did not know this and therefore turned to a travel agency - which I do not regret at all, precisely because the Volga delta is not only a lotus, but thickets near villages and lotus fields in the depths of the delta - it's like comparing a flower bed and a wild meadow in mountains.

It is strongly not recommended to get there without a travel agency: firstly, this is a nature reserve, and secondly, if caught, you can pass for a poacher, and black caviar in Astrakhan is a product of the same category with drugs. And if you apply to a travel agency, then I do not advise taking a tour from Astrakhan: firstly, because there are group tours, and secondly, because they cost 1500 rubles. per person. That is, not only will you be visiting the Delta with a flotilla of several boats, but you will also be able to go only when there is a group. I could get here only on Monday, when there was no group, but I found a way out: book an excursion directly at the camp sites, with which the Delta is very rich.
I went through the Kolochny Island camp site - they organize excursions directly in the delta (that is, you can get there on your own), and their prices are already different: 1,500 rubles per boat, from 1 to 4 people.

The scheme is simple: you agree (in advance and once again closer to the point), arrive on your own to the place of departure, there you are met by the huntsman on the motorboat, and for 3 hours you are driven along the Volga delta. And if we ended up going with Periscope together, the savings would be twofold ... But otherwise, I, being the only passenger on the boat (+ huntsman), paid the same amount as I would have paid for participating in a group excursion.

The starting point was the village of Karalat - the lowest of the villages in this part of the Delta, while being only 40 km away from Astrakhan. Direct minibuses go there every 3 hours (the earliest one is at 10:20), but I hitchhiked back to the city of Kamyzyak halfway, from where minibuses to Astrakhan run every 10 minutes. Behind Kamyzyak, amazing places begin: a deserted road, and on the sides there are reeds that could hide a truck. Karalat is a real end of the world, beyond which there is supposedly nothing.

I stopped at the entrance to the village, and heard a strange, not quite earthly crackle of some insects - probably cicadas. The huntsman Alexei was already waiting for me, who accompanied me to the shore and put me in a boat. We set sail and swam along the coast (it would be more correct to say - "went along the coast", but this is professional jargon, which we will omit here). This is what Karalat looked like:

A typical Caspian village with solid, but primitive houses, with an abundance of livestock, with a cemetery on the top of the Baer hillock. The village is either Russian or Tatar, as there are no mazars in the cemetery. And it is clearly seen that Karalat is the gate of the protected Delta, as there are many moorings along the coast (mostly for tourists), and there are lotus patches right by the water.

But we passed the gate, and the path lay in the Delta:

The Volga Delta, in fact, resembles a city in its structure: there are large "avenues" (ducts), there are narrow crooked lanes (eriki), there are transit highways: Bakhtemir (the navigable route to the Caspian lies along it), Kamyzyak, Buzan, Bold. The easternmost channel - Kigach - leads to Kazakhstan. Specifically, this duct is the Tabola, passing into the big erik Kolochny.

The vegetation of the delta is diverse: there are reeds that form a 3-meter wall, here there are bushes, and forest areas.

Even more interesting - in narrow erics:

Sometimes these thickets are jokingly called "Volga jungle". IN Soviet films(well, according to Jules Verne, for example, or according to Conan Doyle) Amazonia usually "was" here.
I strongly do not recommend going here on your own on your boat - you can get lost in an elementary way. But the huntsmen know these labyrinths by heart ...

The farthest part of the delta, to which from Karalat go to motor boat 40 minutes - Rumbles.

This is an amazing place: neither water nor land. A huge expanse of water, where for kilometers the depth is knee-deep, and there is no land, but there are numerous patches of tall grass, similar to islands. This is where the lotus fields are located.

A few decades ago, the sea was here, but the level of the Caspian is unstable - theoretically, it can retreat to Baku itself, or it can rise almost to Volgograd, but even in the foreseeable past, the Caspian "came close" to Astrakhan and its "ancestors" more than once - Saray -Batu and Itil. For the last 100 years, the level of the Caspian Sea has been steadily decreasing, and the delta has grown, over a century and a half its area has grown 9 times. But in recent years, the Caspian has again gone on the offensive - its level has risen by a meter, and perhaps in a hundred years Astrakhan will again be on the seashore. In the meantime, it is separated from the sea by 80 kilometers, and even from here it is 30 kilometers to salt water.

But landscapes are not so interesting yet. About the main thing - lotuses - I will tell at the very end. For now, everything else.

In the Volga delta, birds made the same strong impression on me as lotuses. The delta is very rich in birds, because even the ancient Greeks often called the Caspian the Bird Sea. Theoretically, even flamingos are found here - real ones, like in Africa ... Actually, they fly to Africa for the winter, and live here in the summer. But their nesting sites are very far from any habitation. In addition, in spring and autumn, the Delta becomes a transit point on bird roads - here the flocks stop and rest before continuing their journey.

There are a lot of birds in the delta. It’s better not to remove the camera at all, especially since they always appear unexpectedly.

Most often there are gray herons that fly with their heads on their backs. They are huge - they are not inferior to storks and eagles.

Even more interesting are white herons. If I saw gray herons on the Kama, where I spent my childhood, then I saw white herons for the first time.

They are smaller than gray ones - but more beautiful, they can be mistaken for swans from afar:

And here are the swans themselves - not on the pond, but in nature:

And you have to hear how loud and beautiful their wings flap... A swan in flight is majestic.

Cormorants also live here - black sea birds that can dive and search for prey under water:

After that, they usually dry their wings in the sun - "cormorant". It is known, by the way, that it was the sailors who brought this word into the jargon:

And here is a whole flock of cormorants, which we frightened off on peals:

There are also eagles in the Delta:

I even saw an eagle with prey, and tried to shoot - but the eagle abandoned the prey (some other bird, the carcass of which fell with a loud splash) and left. Although the bird is proud, it does not forget about the instinct of self-preservation! I have noticed many times that birds of prey are afraid of the lens - perhaps they mistake it for the trunk. After all, their eyesight is incredible: an eagle sees a mouse for 2 kilometers.
So I was not able to photograph the "king-bird" in flight.

There is also a lot of other things: great grebes, bitterns, sandpipers and other birds that I don’t know about. There are, of course, seagulls here - where would we be without them. rich and undersea world- after all, the Volga and the Caspian accounted for up to 2/3 of the world population of sturgeons, and black caviar was once eaten with a tablespoon.

Delta is a tourist place, and other boats meet there all the time:

There are a huge number of various camp sites in the delta, and tourism itself in Astrakhan is well established. Many people come here to relax, but more often - to fish and hunt. Tourist prices are very high.

But we met this unit in one of the channels:

This is a floating mower that clears eriki. From the place of this meeting, not far from the tourist center "Kolochny Island", to which the budara was assigned:

I was brought here at the very end to pay, and even fed lunch, which is included in the price of the tour. True, not sturgeon, of course, and not even fish soup, but borsch and pilaf - but DELICIOUS borsch and pilaf. And the hostel itself surprised me with a cozy atmosphere and the friendliness of the staff:

I don't love salt water, and the sea is not accustomed to rest. I spent my early childhood on the Pacific Ocean, and in middle childhood I got used to swimming in the Kama - a large and cold river, and even from the pier. And perhaps, the camp sites of the Volga delta are exactly the places where I would be ready to go FOR REST. Although this is not cheap - on Kolochny Island, say, from 1500 rubles. per day per person. And yet, having been there for a short time, I thought - someday I will go here to rest. And the water is warm to the touch.

But I did not go to rest, but to see the "Caspian rose" - a blooming lotus. And I saw him:

Lotus "flower bed" at the "Kolochny Island"

And a real lotus field on peals, to which the boat from Karalat went for more than an hour:

I was taken to two lotus fields - though not very large. And in the distant, protected parts of the Delta, lotus fields stretch for kilometers ... But to go to such ones takes a whole day.

The lotus flower is an unearthly beauty:

I don't even know if there are more beautiful flowers in the world than lotuses. But even more beautiful than the sight is the smell. In general, I am calm about the smell of flowers - but the smell of a lotus cannot be compared with anything!
Huge leaves, and not wetted - drops of water run over them with silvery balls, and the leaves remain dry:

And when the lotus fades, it leaves such a strange "box":

You can admire lotuses endlessly. In addition, their flowers are huge - like two open palms. The smell of many flowers hangs over the field.

And this is me - partly for scale:

It was a true ending. PERFORMANCE, as one of my friends said. Somewhere behind were the huge Chelyabinsk, the industrial horror of Karabash, the cold and rainy Ural Mountains, the Orenburg steppes, the Cossack freemen and the desert of Western Kazakhstan scorched by the sun.

I have crossed the desert. And as in oriental tales found an oasis.
And now I was in all Russian millionaires, in all regional centers on the Volga, in all the "full" Kremlins of Russia and in half of the Cossack estates. Below is the full table of contents of the expedition.

Image from the Resurs.F2 spacecraft, MK 4 camera. Scale is about 1:380,000.

The delta of the great Russian river Volga is located on the Caspian lowland, on the territory Astrakhan region. The Caspian lowland is a desert plain. It lies below the ocean level and belongs to the area of ​​internal runoff. The picture shows the Volga with two main branches - the Volga itself and the Akhtuba. The Volga-Akhtuba floodplain stands out for space image broad dark band. The floodplain is characterized by numerous channels and islands, moisture-loving vegetation, crops of melons and vegetables, and orchards. Downstream, the Volga and Akhtuba are divided into many large and small channels (eriks). The main ones are Buzan, Bakhtemir, Bolda. The Volga Delta stands out in the photographic image as a dark structural pattern. The islands of the delta are occupied mainly by floodplain marshy meadows used for the most part under crops of melons and vegetables. Closer to the moistening of the lands increases significantly, shallow-water vegetation appears - reeds, reeds, lotus, etc. Sites of the Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve are located here.

The right bank of the Volga is occupied by flat or undulating low-lying plains, composed of saline marine Quaternary clays and loams, less often sands. In the vegetation cover, biyurgun-wormwood and wormwood groups are distinguished on brown desert-steppe solonetsous soils, black wormwood and biyurgun groups on solonets soils, and saltworts on solonchaks.

The left bank of the Volga is sandy desert. In the picture, it stands out in brown with yellow spots of loose sands. Forms of the eolian relief are represented by ridge, hummocky, cellular and other sandy massifs. They are fixed in places. In the hollows there are poplar and aspen groves, reed beds, salt marshes and meadows. To the west and east of the Volga delta, there is a peculiar landscape of Baer knolls - narrow long (up to 8 km) ridges, 10–15 m high, 200–500 m wide, with tyrso-sagebrush vegetation. The hollows between the hillocks are occupied by shallow lakes, channels, solonchaks, thickets of reeds, cattail, and meadows. There are small areas of cultivated land here, some of which are shown in the image with green circles (traces of polycircular installations of the "Fregat" type).

The delta itself is mainly developed economically. The city of Astrakhan is visible in the central part of the image. To regulate the water supply on the Volga, a water divider dam was built. On the left bank of the Akhtuba (northern part of the image), the objects of the Astrakhan gas complex are visible - gas production units, a gas processing plant, roads connecting them.

Number

Compilers

N. N. Moshonkin (Committee for Ecology and natural resources Astrakhan region. 414006, Astrakhan, st. Baku, 113; tel. 22-90-83).

I. E. Kamennova (Moscow Coordination Center of Wetlands International. 125319, Moscow, PO Box 55).

Site name

Geographical coordinates

The geographical position of the land

Land area

Height

Wetland type

According to the Russian classification - 2.5.1.5.

Listing Criteria

Brief description of the land

Relief, hydrography

The surface delta is a dense network of wide rivers and narrow channels with a depth of 3-7 m, which divide the land into many islands ranging in size from 2 to 20 or more square kilometers. The banks of all watercourses are places of intensive sedimentation, as a result of which they turn out to be the highest land areas (with a height of 0.5-1.7 m). The banks are usually steep and steep. The interchannel sections of the delta, formed due to less intense alluvial processes, are significantly lowered in relation to the banks of the channels.
The modern pre-estuarial space of the Volga delta was formed during the development of the secular warm and dry phase of the climate in 1930-1940, when there was a sharp decrease in the level of the Caspian Sea (by 2.3 m) and extensive freshwater shallow waters were formed.

The kultuchny zone of the delta is characterized by weakly flowing bays with small land islands and underwater shoals. These bays in a strip from one to several kilometers wide extend along the entire edge of the above-water delta with depths from 0.4 to 1.3 m during the low season, and from 1.0 to 2.3 m during floods. The soil is viscous, its accumulation associated with the accumulation of river sediments and the decomposition of plants.

The Volga delta is a vast shallow-water area with many low-lying islands formed as a result of the drying of the seabed and composed of loose material of marine origin. The shape of the islands is varied, most often they are elongated with the flow. Inter-island water areas have a smoothed relief. Their bottom is lined by 10-40 cm with silt, sometimes with silty and fine sand. Under this layer lie soils of the same composition, but with layers of more silty sediments. Low water depths range from 1.0-1.7, sometimes up to 2.5 m, and in high water they increase by 0.7-1.5 m.

Hydrology

The annual course of the Volga delta level is characterized by the following seasonal fluctuations: spring-summer high water, summer-autumn low water, autumn flood and winter rise (Baidin et al., 1956). The first three types of fluctuations are created by a change in the flow of the Volga, the latter occurs when an ice cover is established in the mouth part of the delta.

A gradual rise in the water level begins in the second half of April, passing in May-June into the spring-summer flood, with a peak in the second half of June. After the peak of the flood, first a rapid and then a gradual decrease in the level begins, turning in August-September into the autumn low water. Winter water rises associated with the stable establishment of ice cover are usually observed in January and continue until the second half of March, after which the rise reaches maximum levels. Surging winds from the sea cause water to rise by 1-2.5 m, and in exceptional cases - up to 5 m.

The hydrological regime of the Volga delta is characterized by long-term changes that have the nature of cycles developing at intervals of 30-45 years (intrasecular cycles) and 70-90 years (secular cycles). The last warm, dry period in the hydrological history of the Volga delta (in an intra-secular cycle) occurred in 1951-1978, and from 1979 to the present, the situation has been developing according to a cool-humid type (in a secular cycle), and this will continue for approximately until 2003-2007 (Apollov, 1956; Baidin et al., 1956; Caspian Sea, 1986; Krivenko, 1992; Klige, 1997).

Changes in the flow of the Volga and the general moisture in the Caspian region have a huge impact on the nature of the delta. So, in the age-old warm, dry period of 1930-1940. the annual flow of the Volga was reduced to 207 km3, which was accompanied by a drop in the level of the Caspian by 2.3 m and the formation of a vast foredelta. During the development of the modern secular cool-humid phase of the climate, the average annual runoff of the Volga exceeded 300 km3, the level of the Caspian Sea rose by more than 2 m, and the low water depths in the fore-delta, compared with the previous period, increased by 1.5-2.5 m .

According to the degree of mineralization, the Volga delta is a freshwater body of water. The maximum content of solid sediment in water is 321 mg/l. Salt composition The water of the delta from Astrakhan to 2.5 m of the isobath of the fore-delta remains almost unchanged. So, according to L.A. Barsukova (1956), the content of dense sediment in the water of various parts of the delta in May is: near Astrakhan - 132 mg/l, in the main zone of the fore-delta - 128 mg/l, in the fore-delta proper - 321 mg/l l.

Climate

Environmental conditions

1. Islands with forb-grass cover
Land islands dominated by forb-cereal meadows (spring veronica, amphibian buckwheat, coastal sedge), as well as reeds. From the north, these habitats are adjacent to the zone of intensive agricultural development.
In the channels separating the islands, coastal vegetation develops from the burrweed, pondweeds - pierced-leaved and brilliant, nymphaeum, and water lilies.
During the flood, many temporary reservoirs are formed here. With the exception of the high water period, most of the delta area is represented here by land.

2.
Islands with a predominance of reed-cattail lining. Thickets of reeds and cattail cover the islands with continuous impenetrable supports with a projective cover of 90-100%. The height of the reed stems ranges from 3.5 to 5.6 m. The height of the cattail is 1.5-2.5 m. 8 m

3. Islands with forests
Islands with an area from 0.5 to 3 or more km2, with intermittent watering. As a rule, they occupy the lowermost parts of the above-water delta, bordering on the kultuch zone.
The vegetation cover of the islands is also dominated by reed-cattail supports. But here, in addition, forest plantations are developed, mainly from white willow 25-40 years old. Willows gravitate towards the banks of the channels, but also spread deep into the islands. large arrays. Among the trees, a second tier of reeds is well developed, as well as a tier of sedges, grasses and herbs.

The most important habitats in the mouth area of ​​the delta are:

1. Curtain, tape-curtain and which cover the water area in the form of clumps with a projective cover of 20 to 40%, winding ribbons and clumps with a projective cover of 50-60%, or in the form of vast fields (massifs) with small water mirrors and a projective cover of reeds at the level of 70-80%.

The water area free from reeds is usually covered with burr reeds and multispecies formations of semi-submerged and submerged plants, of which chilim, salvinia, nymphaeum, pondweeds, vallisneria, whorled urut, and characeae are common. All three types of reed overgrowth are successively changing stages of succession from the clump type of thickets, through the ribbon-clump type of overgrowth to the massive thicket type.

2. Thickets of brambles- cover many areas of the pre-estuarial space with a projective cover of 50-70%. Here, multi-species formations of semi-submerged and submerged vegetation are abundantly represented. In the last 10 years, the area of ​​the burr reed has been shrinking due to increasing depths.

3. Islands with reed-cattail lining- are located in continuous arrays with a projective cover of 90-100%. Occasionally, in some areas of reed-cattail thickets of dry islands, willow forests are present, represented mainly by white willow 20-40 years old with a density of 0.2-0.4. Willows gravitate towards channels and oxbow depressions.

4. Open water area with a depth of 70-250 cm- interisland spaces and areas adjacent to the slope of the depths of the Caspian Sea. In many areas, submerged vegetation from fields of spiral vallisneria, urti whorled, or charophytes is well represented.

Forms of ownership of land on the territory of the land

Water resources are exclusively state property (single state water fund).

Use of land and water

Cattle, horses, and sheep are grazed on the highest islands of the above-water delta, and grass is cut for hay.

In some areas of the surface delta and the islands of the fore-delta, industrial reed harvesting is practiced. At the same time, as a result of the impact of caterpillar vehicles, reed beds are degraded over several years. In recent years, the volume of cane harvesting has declined.

Industrial fishing is most common in the surface delta, where the seine method is used during the spring and autumn migrations of semi-anadromous and sturgeon fish. The main burden of fishing falls on the territory outside the Ramsar site. In the pre-estuary space of the delta, on a limited scale, fishing is carried out with fixed fishing gear - venters and nets.

Waterfowl hunting is practiced in autumn, for 2.5 months. It is strictly limited both in terms of attendance and production rates. It does not have a strong negative effect on waterfowl.

Ecological tourism is a new direction in the nature management of the region. The overall scale of the loads is insignificant.

Possible changes in land and water use

Threats and Disturbing Factors

The increase in depth in the Volga Delta reduces the area of ​​habitats for stopping migratory birds, and when this factor is combined with the impact of surge winds from the sea, the death of nests of waterfowl from flooding increases and a multiple decrease in the nesting density of birds occurs. With the growth of tourism, the negative impact of the bird disturbance factor may increase.

Existing protection

On an area of ​​66.8 thousand hectares, the Astrakhan State Biosphere Reserve, established in 1919, operates (in the form of three sections). The protected zone of the reserve is 31.0 thousand hectares.

There are four game reserves (Tumanka, Teplushka, Zhirotopka, Krestovy) with a total area of ​​38.2 thousand hectares, as well as a number of “rest zones” for waterfowl during the hunting season.

There are four natural monuments within the boundaries of the wetland: Staroygolkinsky (6 ha), Gandurinsky (5 ha) and Khazovsky (6 ha) nesting colonies of copepods and ankle-footed birds; and "Estakadny" (300 ha) - a spawning array.

There are 11 hunting farms in the lower reaches of the Volga Delta. The protection of their lands is carried out by the huntsman service of each hunting farm. The total number of hunters and rangers who protect the assigned hunting grounds is about 90 people.

The protection of loose hunting grounds is entrusted to 4 district hunters of the Department of Hunting Management of the Regional Administration.

The protection of fish stocks is entrusted to the North Caspian Basin Administration for the Protection and Reproduction of Fish Stocks and the Regulation of Fishing (“Sevkasprybvod”). The staff of its state inspectors in the wetland is about 150 people. In addition, the protection of the fish stocks of the site is carried out by special mobile groups of state inspectors of the operational, regional and district fish protection inspections and special units for the protection of fish stocks of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Astrakhan Region with the involvement of the inspectors of the Committee of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Astrakhan Region.

On the watercourses of the lower reaches of the delta and the water area of ​​the pre-estuary space, annually for the period of fish spawning, the administration of the region imposes restrictions on the movement of water transport.

Proposed forms of protection

In October 1991, an international seminar was held in Astrakhan, organized by the International Bureau for the Study of Wetlands and Waterfowl, with the assistance of the World Wildlife Fund, and the Astrakhan Reserve, at which the “Strategy and Action Plan for the Conservation of Wetlands lower Volga. This document formulates a set of tasks for the conservation of the Volga Delta and the measures necessary to solve them.

Social and cultural value of the site

The watercourses of the land are of great importance for the economy as transport routes local, interregional and interstate significance. The entire cargo turnover from the Caspian Sea to the Volga passes through the water area of ​​the wetland.

The coastal area of ​​the land plays an important role for agriculture. It is used as pasture, grassland and, on a small scale, for crop production.
The most valuable fish-producing water body (especially for sturgeons) with a developed commercial fishery on a global scale, an important recreational center, an easily accessible and convenient testing ground for scientific research and environmental education.

The role of the area as a place of bird migration

In spring, migrations are generally of a transit nature. A significant part of the birds stay in the delta for a short time. Birds stay mainly in shallow areas of the delta, covered with thickets of reeds and burdocks. The total number of waterfowl migrating during the season is estimated at 7.0 million individuals (Krivenko, 1980, 1989).

Of the ducks, the most numerous species - mallard, pintail - begin migrating in early March, their mass migrations occur in mid-late March. Such numerous species as the common teal, black tufted duck, goldeneye fly in mass in late March - the first decade of April.
Of the geese, the main migrant is the gray goose, predominantly of the local population, appearing in the Volga delta among the first arriving birds.

A transit migratory species is the whooper swan, flying in large numbers among the avant-garde species. Mute swan migrations are well-marked from mid-March and are mostly represented by local birds, as well as a significant number of individuals nesting or molting in Kazakhstan.

Of other groups of birds, the passage of some northern species of waders and black-headed gulls is expressed.

In autumn, transit migrations in many species are weakly expressed, with the exception of the whooper swan and, to some extent, the white-fronted goose. The total number of migrants is estimated at different years from 5.0 to 10.0 million individuals (Krivenko, 1980, 1989). In recent years, due to the increase in depth, the role of the Volga delta as a migration and stopping area for waterfowl has noticeably decreased. The number of migrating ducks in recent years has been 1.9 million, including 1.2 million river ducks and 0.65 million diving ducks.

The species composition of waterfowl is similar to that in spring. A noticeable increase in the number of migrating birds can be traced in the first half of October, a massive migration occurs in the second half of October and throughout November.

The role of the area as a nesting site

The most important nesting sites for all bird species are the patchy reed beds. Mallards often also nest along the banks of the channels of the above-water delta.

The Volga Delta is known, in addition, as an area of ​​mass nesting of ankle-footed and copepod birds - herons, ibis, great cormorant (Table 2).

Before the start of an intensive increase in the watering of water bodies in the Volga delta, there were 44 colonies of this group of birds, from total number birds 56.8 thousand pairs (Table 2). As the depths here increase further, the abundance of most species showed a tendency to decrease. Part of the birds migrate to the surface part of the delta, but the majority - outside the Volga delta. In 1991, 33.2 thousand pairs were counted, which formed 25 colonies (Krivenko, 1991; Gavrilov, 1993).

The role of the area as a place of molting

The role of the area as a habitat for rare and endangered species

— The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is a breeding species, with numbers ranging from 30 to 240 pairs, with a decreasing trend.

— The Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus) is a rare, but constantly occurring species on migration and rest.

— The Red-throated Goose (Branta ruficollis) is a rare migratory species.

— The Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus) is a rare breeding species with more than 50 pairs, with a tendency to increase.

— Egyptian heron (Bubulcus ibis) — a rare breeding species, with a population 2-6 pairs;

– Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) is a nesting species, with a population of 250-350 pairs, with a downward trend (5 colonies).

— Karavayka (Plegadis falcinellus) — a nesting species, with a population 470-1400 couples (in 7 colonies).

– Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a common breeding species with a steady population in 20-40 pairs

— White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) — a common breeding species, with a steady population 150-160 pairs

– Black-headed Gull (Larus ichtyaetus) is a rare nesting species in the delta. Outside the Volga delta, at a distance of 80 km to the sea (Zhemchuzhny Island), there is one of the world's largest colonies of black-headed gulls with a population of 15-25 thousand steam. The Volga Delta is used by this colony in spring and autumn as a feeding territory;

— Lesser swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii), duck (Oxyura leucocephala), stilt (Himantopus himantopus), avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), saker falcon (Falco cherrug), imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), steppe eagle ( A.nipalensis), bustard (Otis tarda), demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo), mullet (Porphyrio porphyrio) are rare migratory species.

The role of the area for the conservation of biodiversity of mammals, amphibians, reptiles

Stoat (Mustela erminea), otter (Lutra lutra), common vole (Microtus arvalis), water vole (Arvicola terrestris) live in small numbers. In the above-water delta, on the elevations of the relief - Baer's hillocks - the comb and midday gerbils (Meriones tamariscinus, M. meridianus) have been preserved. In the areas bordering the sea, the Caspian seal (Phoca caspica) is common. From bats there are small and red noctules (Nyctalus leisleri, N. noctula).

Reptiles are represented by common and water snakes (Natrix natrix, N.tessellata), marsh turtles (Emys orbicularis). Occasionally there is a patterned snake (Elaphe dione). Amphibians are represented by the lake frog (Rana ridibunda).

The role of the area as a habitat for fish

valuable flora

The most valuable representative of the flora is the walnut lotus (Nelumbo caspica). In recent decades, this plant has been expanding its area, occupying vast areas (more than 5.0 thousand hectares).
Water chestnut or chilim (Trapa natans). It does not form significant thickets, but the total area in the lower reaches of the delta is much larger than the lotus area.

In kultuchnye reservoirs and along the inter-island water area of ​​the pre-estuary coastal area, an increase in the area of ​​water chestnut growth is observed, and in the zone of the open fore-delta, due to an increase in depths and a change in the water regime, a reduction.

Egyptian Marsilea (Marsilea aegyptiaca). A very rare species. Aldrovanda vesiculosa (Aldrovanda vesiculosa). Rare view. It enters the lower reaches of the delta in high-water years.

Multi-species formations of submerged and semi-submerged vegetation in the conditions of the constantly freshwater regime of the Volga delta are a kind of centers of distribution of these species in the water bodies of the arid zone. Among the group of plants under consideration, in terms of gene pool conservation, whorled urt (Myriophyllum verticillatum), spiral vallisneria (Vallisneria spiralis), small naiad (Caulinia minor), brilliant pondweed (Potamogeton lucens) are of particular value.

Scientific research

Recreation and tourism

Control

Astrakhan biospheric state reserve: 414021, Astrakhan, Tsarev river embankment, 119; tel. 33-17-09, 33-69-29.

Department of the hunting economy of the Administration of the Astrakhan region: 414000 Astrakhan, st. Kuibyshev, 6; tel. 22-93-50, 22-36-13.

North-Caspian Basin Administration for the Protection and Reproduction of Fish Stocks and Regulation of Fisheries (“Sevkasprybvod”): 414000 Astrakhan, st. Sverdlov, 31; tel. 22-68-44.

Jurisdiction

State Committee for Ecology of Russia: 123812, Moscow, Bolshaya Gruzinskaya, 4/6.

Literature

Klige R.K. Options for forecasting the position of the Caspian Sea level. Geo-ecological changes during fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea. IN 1. M.: Publishing House of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov, 1997. 207 p.

Krivenko V.G. Waterfowl and their protection. Moscow: Agropromizdat, 1991.

Krivonosov G.A., Zhivoglyad A.F. Astrakhan nature reserve. Reserves of the USSR. Reserves of the European part of the RSFSR.II. M.: Thought, 1989.

Natural ecosystems of the Volga delta. (Collection of scientific papers). L., 1984.

Finlayson, C.M. (Ed.). 1992. A Strategy and Action Plan to conserve the wetlands of the Lower Volga. Developed at an International Workshop, held in the Russian city of Astrakhan during October 1991. IWRB. Slimbridge, U.K. 26pp.

Finlayson, C.M., Y.S. Chuikov, R.C. Prentice and W. Fisher (Eds.). 1993. Biogeography of the Lower
Volga, Russia: an overview. IWRB Spec.Publ.28, Slimbridge, U.K. 16pp.

The first mention of the Volga River dates back to ancient times, when it was called as "Ra". In later times, already in Arabic sources, the river was called Atel (Ethel, Itil), which means “great river” or “river of rivers”. That is how the Byzantine Theophanes and subsequent chroniclers called her in the annals.
The current name "Volga" has several versions of its origin. The version about the Baltic roots of the name seems to be the most probable. According to the Latvian valka, which means "overgrown river", the Volga got its name. This is how the river looks in its upper reaches, where the Balts lived in antiquity. According to another version, the name of the river comes from the word valkea (Finno-Ugric), which means "white" or from the Old Slavic "volog" (moisture).

Hydrography

Since ancient times, the Volga has not lost its grandeur at all. Today it is the largest river in Russia and ranks 16th in the world among the longest rivers. Before the construction of the cascade of reservoirs, the length of the river was 3690 km, today this figure has decreased to 3530 km. At the same time, navigable navigation is carried out for 3500 km. In navigation, the channel plays an important role. Moscow, which acts as a link between the capital and the great Russian river.
The Volga connects with the following seas:

• with the Azov and Black Seas through the Volga-Don Canal;
• With by the Baltic Sea through the Volga-Baltic waterway;
• with the White Sea along the White Sea-Baltic Canal and the Severodvinsk river system.

The waters of the Volga originate in the region of the Valdai Upland - in the spring of the village of Volga-Verkhovye, which is located in the Tver region. The height of the source above sea level is 228 meters. Further, the river carries its waters through all of Central Russia to the Caspian Sea. The height of the fall of the river is small, because. the mouth of the river is only 28 meters below sea level. Thus, throughout its entire length, the river descends 256 meters, and its slope is 0.07%. average speed the river flow is relatively low - from 2 to 6 km/h (less than 1 m/s).
The Volga is fed mainly by melt water, which accounts for 60% of the annual runoff. 30% of the runoff comes from groundwater (which supports the river in winter) and only 10% brings rain (mainly in summer). Throughout its length, 200 tributaries flow into the Volga. But already at the latitude of Saratov, the water basin of the river narrows, after which the Volga flows from the city of Kamyshin to the Caspian Sea without support from other tributaries.
From April to June, the Volga is characterized by a high spring flood, which lasts an average of 72 days. The maximum level of water rise in the river is observed in the first half of May, when it spills over the floodplain territory for 10 or more kilometers. And in the lower reaches - in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, the width of the flood in places reaches 30 km.
Summer is characterized by a stable low-water period, which lasts from mid-June to early October. Rains in October bring with them an autumn flood, after which a period of low-water winter low water begins, when the Volga is fed only by groundwater.
It should also be noted that after the construction of a whole cascade of reservoirs and regulation of the flow, fluctuations in the water level became much less significant.
The Volga freezes in its upper and middle reaches, usually at the end of November. In the lower reaches, ice rises in early December.
Ice drift on the Volga in the upper reaches, as well as in the section from Astrakhan to Kamyshin, occurs in the first half of April. In the area near Astrakhan, the river usually breaks up in mid-March.
At Astrakhan, the river remains ice-free for almost 260 days a year, while in other sections this time is about 200 days. During open water the river is actively used for ship navigation.
The main part of the river catchment falls on the forest zone, located from the very source to Nizhny Novgorod. The middle part of the river passes through the forest-steppe zone, and the lower part already flows through semi-deserts.

Volga Map

Different Volga: Upper, Middle and Lower

According to the classification adopted today, the Volga in its course is divided into three parts:

• The Upper Volga captures the section from the source to the confluence of the Oka (in the city of Nizhny Novgorod);
• The Middle Volga extends from the mouth of the Oka River to the confluence of the Kama;
• The Lower Volga starts from the mouth of the Kama River and reaches the Caspian Sea itself.

As for the Lower Volga, some adjustments should be made. After the construction of the Zhigulevskaya hydroelectric power station just above Samara and the facilities Kuibyshev reservoir, today's border between the middle and lower sections of the river passes just at the level of the dam.

Upper Volga

In its upper course, the river made its way through the system of the Upper Volga lakes. Between Rybinsk and Tver, 3 reservoirs are of interest to fishermen: Rybinsk (the famous "fish"), Ivankovskoye (the so-called "Moscow Sea") and the Uglich reservoir. Even further downstream, bypassing Yaroslavl and as far as Kostroma, the riverbed passes through a narrow valley with high banks. Then, a little higher than Nizhny Novgorod, there is the dam of the Gorky hydroelectric power station, which forms the Gorky reservoir of the same name. The most significant contribution to the Upper Volga is made by such tributaries as: Unzha, Selizharovka, Mologa and Tvertsa.

Middle Volga

Beyond Nizhny Novgorod, the Middle Volga begins. Here the width of the river increases by more than 2 times - the Volga becomes full-flowing, reaching a width of 600 m to 2+ km. Near the city of Cheboksary, after the construction of the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station of the same name, an extended reservoir was formed. The area of ​​the reservoir is 2190 square km. The largest tributaries of the Middle Volga are the rivers: Oka, Sviyaga, Vetluga and Sura.

Lower Volga

The Lower Volga begins immediately after the confluence of the Kama River. Here the river, indeed, can be called mighty in all respects. The Lower Volga carries its full-flowing streams along the Volga Upland. Near the city of Tolyatti on the Volga, the largest reservoir was built - Kuibyshevskoe, on which in 2011 there was a disaster with the notorious motor ship Bulgaria. The reservoir of the Volga hydroelectric power station named after Lenin is propped up. Even further downstream, near the city of Balakovo, the Saratov hydroelectric power station was built. The tributaries of the Lower Volga are no longer so full of water, these are the rivers: Samara, Eruslan, Sok, Big Irgiz.

Volga-Akhtuba floodplain

Below the city of Volzhsky, a left branch called Akhtuba separates from the great Russian river. After the construction of the Volga hydroelectric power station, the beginning of the Akhtuba was a 6 km canal extending from the root Volga. Today, the length of Akhtuba is 537 km, the river carries its waters to the northeast parallel to the mother channel, then approaching it, then moving away again. Together with the Volga, Akhtuba forms the famous Volga-Akhtuba floodplain - a real fishing eldorado. The floodplain territory is pierced by numerous channels, saturated with flood lakes and unusually rich in all kinds of fish. The width of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain averages from 10 to 30 km.
Through the territory of the Astrakhan region, the Volga travels 550 km, carrying its waters along the Caspian lowland. At the 3038th kilometer of its journey, the Volga River splits into 3 branches: Bold Curve, City and Trusovsky. And in the section from 3039 to 3053 km, the city of Astrakhan is located along the branches of the City and Trusovsky.
Below Astrakhan, the river makes a turn to the southwest and splits into numerous branches that form a delta.

Volga Delta

The Volga delta first begins to form in a place where one of the branches called Buzan separates from the main channel. This place is located above Astrakhan. In general, the Volga delta has over 510 branches, small channels and eriks. The delta is located on total area in 19 thousand square kilometers. In width, the distance between the western and eastern branches of the delta reaches 170 km. In the generally accepted classification, the Volga delta consists of three parts: upper, middle and lower. The upper and middle delta zones consist of small islands, separated by channels (eriks) with a width of 7 to 18 meters. The lower part of the Volga delta consists of very branched channel channels, which pass into the so-called. Caspian peals, famous for their lotus fields.
Due to the lowering of the level of the Caspian Sea over the past 130 years, the area of ​​the Volga delta is also growing. During this time, it has increased more than 9 times.
Today, the Volga delta is the largest in Europe, but is famous primarily for its rich fish stocks.
Note that vegetable animal world The delta is under protection - the Astrakhan Reserve is located here. Therefore, amateur fishing in these places is regulated and not allowed everywhere.

The economic role of the river in the life of the country

Since the 30s of the last century, electricity has been produced on the river with the help of hydroelectric power stations. Since then, 9 hydroelectric power plants with their reservoirs have been built on the Volga. On this moment the river basin sheltered approximately 45% of industry and half of all agriculture in Russia. More than 20% of all fish for the food industry of the Russian Federation is caught in the Volga basin.
In a swimming pool Upper Volga the logging industry is developed, and grain crops are grown in the Middle and Lower Volga regions. Along the middle and downstream The river also developed horticulture and horticulture.
The Volga-Ural region is rich in natural gas and oil deposits. Near the city of Solikamsk there are deposits of potassium salts. famous lake Baskunchak on the Lower Volga is famous not only for its healing mud, but also deposits of table salt.
Upstream ships carry oil products, coal, gravel materials, cement, metal, salt and food products. Downstream supplies timber, industrial raw materials, lumber and finished products.

Animal world

Tourism and fishing on the Volga

In the mid-90s of the last century, due to the economic decline in the country, water tourism on the Volga lost its popularity. The situation was normalized only at the beginning of this century. But the outdated material and technical base hinders the development of the tourism business. Motor ships that were built back in Soviet times (60-90 years of the last century) still sail along the Volga. Water tourist routes quite a lot along the Volga. From Moscow alone, motor ships run on more than 20 different routes.