Southeast Svalbard Nature Reserve

Location of the Southeast Svalbard Nature Reserve

The Southeast Svalbard Nature Reserve ( Norwegian Søraust-Svalbard nature reserve ) is a 21,873 km² nature reserve in the Norwegian archipelago of Spitsbergen . It covers 15,474 km² mainland and 6,399 km² sea area, making it the second largest nature reserve in Svalbard after the Northeast Svalbard nature reserve .

The nature reserve, founded in 1973, includes the large islands of Barentsøya and Edgeøya as well as a number of small islets such as Kükenthaløya , Halvmåneøya , Tusenøyane and Ryke Yseøyane. Geologically, sediments from the Triassic predominate, which are locally rich in fossils . In some places like the Frankenhalvøya peninsula in the north of Barentsøya you can find dolerite rocks . The Tusenøyane, Ryke Yseøyane and Halvmåneøya consist entirely of this volcanic rock. The landscape of the large islands is characterized by table mountains and differs from western Spitsbergen in that there are no sharp mountain peaks and deep fjords . The climate is less influenced by the Gulf Stream and therefore cooler and drier than in West Spitsbergen. The sea areas of the nature reserve are covered by pack ice almost all year round. Larger parts of the islands, on the other hand, are unglaciated and relatively rich in vegetation . Of vascular plants there are several saxifrage - and buttercup , Scheuchzers cotton grass and arctic poppy , next are lichens and mosses common.

Polar bears can be found all year round in the entire nature reserve . The reindeer population is estimated at 450 animals on Barentsøya and around 2500 on Edgeøya. The arctic fox is also common . Walruses , ringed seals , bearded seals as well as minke and white whales live in the sea . In the southwest Edgeøyas there on the cliff on Negerpynten and on Kvalpyntfjellet two breeding colonies of Eissturmvogels that to other seabirds such as kittiwakes , thick-billed murres , black guillemots and auks are important. On many of the small and shallow Tusenøyane breed -footed geese , barnacle geese , brent geese , King Eider , the sea beach runner and glaucous gulls . The Southeast Svalbard Nature Reserve is therefore designated by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (SJ011). The only freshwater fish in Svalbard, the arctic char , is found in the nature reserve only in a lake in northern Barentsøya.

The protection in the reserve also includes historically or culturally significant sites. In many places you can find traces of whaling , which was practiced here from the 17th century. There is a cemetery from this period on Halvmåneøya. On the west coast of Edgeøya and on the Tusenøyane in particular, the remains of the wintering huts of Pomorian hunters from the 18th and early 19th centuries have been preserved. The Björneborg trapper's hut on Halvmåneøya, which was the best hunting ground for polar bears until 1970, was restored in 1995. It was also used by "polar bear king" Henry Rudi , who shot 713 bears alone.