Fauna
The formation of the fauna of the Belarusian Poozerie took place over a long period of time. After the retreat of the last glacier. About 15 thousand years ago, the zones of tundra, forest tundra, pine-broadleaf and, finally, spruce-broadleaf forests successively replaced each other. Accordingly, the animal world changed. Not all animal species that lived here even in historical times have survived to this day. The bison and tarpan, which inhabited the local forests in the Middle Ages, have now disappeared. The red deer, exterminated by excessive hunting, now lives here again thanks to human reacclimatization.
The fauna of the Braslav Lakes National Park is both typical for the Belarusian-Baltic region and unique due to the low level of economic development of this territory. The low level of anthropogenic pressure, well-established protection of the fauna, as well as the high mosaic nature of landscapes, the combination of agricultural lands, forest, meadow, lake and river ecosystems with hard-to-reach forest-swamp areas create conditions for maintaining a high diversity of the fauna, including a large group of species with national and international protection status.
The territory of the national park is home to 312 species of vertebrates, including 216 species of birds, 45 species of mammals, 34 species of fish, 12 species of amphibians, and 5 species of reptiles.
The fauna is mainly composed of forest zone species - taiga species: wood grouse, black grouse, three-toed woodpecker, crossbill, nutcracker, elk, white hare, etc.; broad-leaved forest zones: wild boar, European roe deer, green woodpecker, woodcock, etc. There are tundra species: black-throated loon, yellow wagtail; forest-steppe species: brown hare, grey partridge. There are numerous species that owe their presence to human activity, including synanthropic ones: white stork, rook, many small passerines.
Ichthyofauna
In the reservoirs and watercourses located on the territory of the National Park "Braslav Lakes" there are currently 34 species of fish belonging to 11 families. In the lakes there are 32 species of fish in the watercourses - 29 species. Of these, 30 species are native and 4 species are introduced. Of the species listed in the "Red Book of the Republic of Belarus" are the European vendace Coregonus albula and the smelt Osmerus eperlanus eperlanus m. spirinchus.
The native ichthyofauna of this region was formed at the end of the Quaternary period after the end of the last (Würm) glaciation. Over the past hundred years, the composition of the ichthyofauna of the reservoirs and watercourses of the park has undergone changes, but to a lesser extent compared to other territories of the republic.
During this period, not a single native fish species disappeared from the park's water bodies. By the eighties and early nineties of the last century, the number of catfish had significantly decreased, but by now its population in the park's water bodies has been restored thanks to fish breeding activities. In the seventies and eighties of the 20th century, the number of ide decreased. The eel population is currently maintained only through artificial stocking.
In the early 1980s, the park's lakes began to be stocked with bighead carp and hybrids of bighead and white carp. The stockings were carried out in many lakes and continue to this day. Since the late 1990s, the lakes Savonar, Tsno, Zolovo, Berezh'e, Drivyaty, Yelno and Potsekh have been stocked with white amur to combat macrophytes, but these stockings were not particularly successful, and the amur is found in extremely small quantities in catches.
The ichthyofauna of the reservoirs and watercourses of the national park includes almost all species characteristic of the Western Dvina basin, with the exception of the rheophilic common minnow and vimba, which live in fast-flowing rivers with a rocky bottom. In general, 54% of the fish species recorded in Belarus are represented on the territory of the park.
The Braslav Lakes National Park is unique in terms of the number of lakes and water content of the territory. The reservoirs of the National Park are of great importance as habitats for the European vendace and smelt, listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus. Most of the lakes are connected by small medium-sized streams. In addition, many small and medium-sized streams flow into the lakes or out of them. Many of them play an important role in ensuring the natural reproduction of the main commercial fish species that come here to spawn during spawning migrations. Often, these same streams are feeding grounds for young fish.
Birds
In the structure of the park's fauna, the avifauna is of particular value. On the territory of the Braslav Lakes National Park, 217 bird species belonging to 18 orders were identified during the research period, which is 67.9% of the fauna of Belarus, including nesting species, as well as regular migrants with ecological connections with the surveyed territory, and individual migratory species noted during the research period.
Compared to other land vertebrates, the bird fauna in the territory of the Braslav Lakes National Park is characterized by the greatest diversity. As noted above, 194 reliably nesting species have been noted here, which is 76.1% of the total composition of nesting birds in Belarus. This figure is very high, which is explained by the extremely large diversity of biotopes. Only 23 species are migratory and/or wintering, vagrant. Another 17 species (gadwall, shoveler, hen harrier, red-footed falcon, merlin, willow grouse, tern, little gull, eagle owl, little owl, short-eared owl, roller, tree pipit, greenish warbler, common crossbill, European finch, garden bunting) are presumably nesting, that is, they were noted during the nesting period in a suitable habitat, but nesting has not been reliably established, or the species has not been recorded nesting for more than 5 years.
The most numerous order in terms of species is the Passeriformes (89 species, which is 41.2% of the total number of species registered in the national park). Next comes the Charadriiformes (27 species/12.7%). The next orders in terms of species richness are Anseriformes (22 species/10.4%), Accipitriformes (14 species/6.6%), Strigiformes (10 species/4.7%), Piciformes (8 species/3.8%), Craneiformes (7 species/3.3%), Ciconiiformes and Galliformes (6 species each/2.8%). The remaining groups are less diverse in terms of species composition.
The territory of the national park is dominated by feathered inhabitants of forest ecosystems - 72 species, which make up 36% of the number of registered bird species, and inhabitants of trees and shrubs - 27 species (14%). As in the entire territory of the republic, the most numerous species here are those belonging to the families Fringilidae, Sylvidae, Turdidae and Paridae. Typical for this territory are the black-throated tit Fringilla coelebs, great tit Parus major, blue tit P. caeruleus, coal tit P. ater, crested tit P. cristatus. High numbers of thrushes are characteristic of forest areas with sufficiently developed undergrowth. Almost all species of warblers (the common warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix, the willow warbler Ph. trochilus and the chiffchaff Ph. collybita) and the tree pipit Anthus trivialis are also numerous.
Mammals
The territory of the national park is characterized by a high mosaic of landscapes, a combination of agricultural lands, forest, meadow, lake and river ecosystems with hard-to-reach forest-swamp areas, which has a favorable effect on the structure of mammals. In total, 45 species of mammals, or 58.4% of the total fauna of Belarus, live on the territory of the Braslav Lakes National Park, which belong to 6 orders. The most numerous group are representatives of the rodent order - Rodentia (18 species). The most fully represented group of animals belongs to the predatory order - Carnivora (13 species) and the association of ungulates of the Braslav Lakes National Park is characterized by an almost complete (with the exception of the bison) species representation, typical for Belarus.
Elk is a typical and distinct representative of boreal theriofauna and is characterized by high numbers. Red deer are registered singly on the territory of the national park, European roe deer is a typical representative of the theriofauna of European broad-leaved forests, quite numerous. The number of wild boar is maintained at an excessive level for the region.
Among the predatory mammals that live here are the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoide, the fox Vulpes vulpes, the pine marten Martes martes, the forest polecat Mustela putorius, the weasel M. nivalis, and the ermine M. Erminea. The most common species of the Rodents order are the red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris, the mountain hare Lepus timidus, and the brown hare Lepus europaeus.
The abundance of rivers, canals and lakes in the area results in a high number of near-water species. Most of the water bodies are inhabited by the river beaver Castor fiber, the high numbers of which sometimes cause problems in forestry and agriculture. The American mink M. vison is quite numerous along the river banks. The order of bats - Chiroptera, represented by 3 species, is less well studied. The territory of the national park is a permanent habitat for species with European conservation status: otter Lutra lutra, wolf Canis lupus. The national park is one of the few lands in the country where such rare species for Europe as bear, lynx and badger permanently live. Five species of mammals - pond bat, northern bat, European (common) lynx, brown bear, badger - are included in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus.
Amphibians and Reptiles
According to the complex herpetological zoning of Belarus, the modern territory of the Braslav Lakes National Park belongs to the northern region, characterized by a specific, relatively depleted species composition of amphibians and reptiles.
Currently, the class of amphibians in the park is represented by 12 species, 2 of which are listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus. Representatives of this group are mainly inhabitants of the forest-swamp complex. The common newt is sporadically found in shallow stagnant water bodies, without reaching a high population density. It often develops roadside habitats of open swampy depressions surrounded by forests of various types.
The Great Crested Newt also adheres to similar sites. However, it is extremely rare in the park, forming island habitats at considerable distances from each other. As a rule, this species inhabits ecotones between transformed and natural lands.
The water content of the territory has a significant impact on the biodiversity of amphibians. Edible frogs are found in lake basins, while pond frogs and edible frogs inhabit permanent reservoirs at various stages of overgrowth in populated areas and on transformed lands. The density of both species in the summer period reaches 20-50 individuals/km of coastal strip.
The background species are two species of brown frogs - the common frog and the sharp-nosed frog, which are most abundant in swampy black alder forests (with a density of up to 52-350 individuals/ha), and waterlogged spruce forests (up to 25-500 individuals/ha). Moreover, due to the peculiarities of the hydrological regime of the region (highly developed hydrological network and water-covered areas), the common frog dominates in the brown frog complex (making up from 20 to 80%).
The common toad is found in most of the territory, using permanent water bodies (lakes, rivers and drainage systems) for reproduction. It actively develops artificial permanent water bodies. It is found in most landscapes, preferring forest ecosystems with a population density of up to 25-50 individuals/ha.
The green toad is found sporadically in the city of Braslav. In other potential habitats, this species has not been identified. In open areas with active agricultural activity, the common spadefoot is found sporadically.
The class of reptiles is represented by 6 species belonging to one order and 4 families. Forest species predominate. The viviparous and sand lizards are the most common reptile species, however, they are more often found in forest biotopes. A rarer species, the brittle slow-worm, is committed to mosaic areas of old-growth, relatively humid forests (spruce forests, ecotones of black alder forests and pine forests, etc.). The species, leading a secretive lifestyle, is rarely encountered.
The grass snake in the park adheres to habitats confined to coastal and damp areas of deciduous forests, as well as willow thickets. The species reaches its maximum density in ecotones along the shorelines of relatively shallow water bodies in places of amphibian concentrations, reaching a density of 5-12 individuals/ha. Small groups of the common viper are found in ecotone areas on the border of forests and swamps.
