Kurils Nature Reserve

The Kurilsky Reserve consists of three separate sectors: • North Kunashir (). Covers the northern part of Kunashir Island. The northwestern area of this sector is the foothills of the Dokuchaeva Mountain Ridge. The sector includes by Mt. Ruruy () (), a complex stratovolcano. The southeastern area of the sector ranges from the volcano Father Mountain ("Tyatya") (1819 m) to the coastal terrace at 30–50 meters above sea level. Tyatya is considered to be a classic example of a Somma volcano, where the summit has collapsed into a caldera that contains a new central cone. • South Kunashir () This sector, on the southern part of Kunashir, differs from the north with smoother relief and less height differential. The central part of the sector includes a caldera volcano, Mt. Golovnin (541 m), the bottom of which has two hot and boiling mineralized lakes. • The Lesser Kuril Ridge () This sector is two very small islands ("Shards" and "Demin"). It is characterized by the presence of small areas and the height of the islands with signs of considerable denudation, which are a continuation of the peninsula geomorphological Nemuro (a. Hokkaido). ==Climate and ecoregion==

Kurils is located in the South Sakhalin-Kurile mixed forests ecoregion. This is a small ecoregion covering the southern tip of Sakalin Island in the Russian Far East, and the Kuril Islands closest to Japan that stretch to the northeast of the island of Hokkaido. It is a region of very high biodiversity, with over 1,350 species of vascular plants recorded. It generally has the flora of the Russian mainland and the fauna of Hokkaido. The climate of Kurils is Subarctic climate, without dry season (Köppen climate classification Subarctic climate (Dfc)). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1–3 months above ) and cold, snowy winters (coldest month below ). ==Flora and fauna==

Approximately 70% of the reserve is forested, mostly with coniferous trees. Common trees include Jezo spruce (Picea jezoensis), Sakhalin spruce (Picea glehnii, and Sakhalin fir (Abies sachalinensis). Much of the understory is heavy thickets of creeping bamboo, bushes and vines. The sea coast has thickets of Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa). Scientists on the reserve have recorded 838 species of vascular plants from 414 genera. ==Ecoeducation and access==

As a strict nature reserve, the Kurils Reserve is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with 'environmental education' purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. The territory of the Kurils Reserve is the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan. The southern sector of the reserve is 20 km from the Japanese coast. Access is not easy and arrangements, particularly for foreigners, must be carefully made in advance. The main office is in the village of Yuzhno-Kurilsk on Kunashir island, about 20 km northeast of the southern sector of the reserve. ==See also==