ANADYR, March 30. /TASS/. Researchers of the Wrangel Island nature reserve on Chukotka between the Chukchi Sea and East Siberian Sea opened another six months’ field season, during which they will observe the unique flora and fauna, the nature reserve’s press service said.
"For six months, the reserve's staff will be collecting information on key objects of environmental monitoring, such as polar bear, white goose, and musk ox, they will study the state of sea-bird colonies and water streams, and will conduct phenology observations," the press service told TASS.
According to the nature reserve, when bears and their cubs start getting out of their dens, the specialists will use UAVs to watch and count them. The Wrangel Island nature reserve is home to almost 170 bird species, which make nests there. In the autumn of 2019, the experts and volunteers began to restore a house in the Popov Lagoon, which scientists could use to watch the birds. The restoration will continue during the current field season.
Wrangel Island is Russia’s northernmost nature reserve. Its rich flora is unique. By now scientists have found 417 species and subspecies there, however, the nature conditions are not favorable for the fauna. No amphibians or reptiles have been registered in the reserve, though tourists quite often can watch colonies of walruses in the coastal areas.