Photo: Pavel Kapustin
Rare Red Book plants and traces of an ancient sea were discovered by the participants of the «Nature Reserve School of the RGS» project in the Michug-Konyugsky Nature Reserve, Kostroma Region. The expedition brought together young scientists and volunteers from the country’s leading universities to study one of the youngest specially protected natural areas in the region.
The Kostroma Region is one of the 16 regions of Russia where the «Nature Reserve School of the RGS» project is being implemented in 2026. The Michug-Konyugsky State Nature Reserve, named after the rivers flowing here, was established in 2022. Despite its age, the area is of great scientific interest. As part of the «Nature Reserve School of the RGS» session, research was conducted in three key fields: biology and zoology, soil science, and the study of forest ecosystems and their natural restoration processes. The goal is to get the most complete picture of the ecosystem.
The researchers paid special attention to the study of reforestation processes. The natural factor helped in this — a few years ago a powerful hurricane passed through the territory of the reserve.
«The wind has divided the reserve in half. This is a large strip that has provided us with a unique opportunity to lay a transect. Transects are created to monitor the restoration of forest cover. We have been observing the Manturov transect for 40 years. Now we can annually conduct research and record changes in the species composition of forests,» said Dmitry Shnur, Chairman of the Kostroma Regional Branch of the RGS.
Photo: Pavel Kapustin
Based on the data obtained at the new transect, the experts plan to create a long-term model of natural forest restoration and changes in the species composition of woody vegetation.
Botanical and zoological research has brought many interesting results. The participants discovered the largest population of the red-book lady’s slipper in the region and identified rare species of insects, including the Carabus schrenckii.
Soil scientists have also obtained significant results. Rocks, indicating the existence of an ancient sea here, have been found deep in the Kostroma forests, as well as various types of clays. These findings make it possible to clarify ideas about the geological history of the region and the conditions of formation of its modern landscape. Scientists do not rule out that in the future the remains of ancient marine organisms may be discovered here.
Photo: Pavel Kapustin
Students and postgraduates from the K. A. Timiryazev Russian State Agrarian University, as well as from Voronezh, Perm, Ufa, Vyatka, Tyumen, Kostroma, and Southern Federal Universities participated in the research.
The ecological and educational project «Nature Reserve School of the RGS» is aimed at studying and preserving the unique natural territories of Russia through the involvement of young people in research and environmental volunteerism. In 2026, the project’s season is supported by the Presidential Nature Foundation.