The Russian Arctic National Park (Russian: Национальный парк "Русская Арктика") is a national park in Russia. It was created in June 2009 and made bigger in 2016. The park covers a large and distant area of the Arctic Ocean, the northern part of Novaya Zemlya (Severny Island), and Franz Josef Land.

Geography

After expansion in 2016, about 74,000 km were added to the National Park, including 16,000 km of land area and 58,000 km of sea area. In 2009, the total area of the national park was 14,260 km, with 6,320 km of land and 7,940 km of the Arctic Ocean.

The area is home to polar bears and bowhead whales. It also includes one of the largest bird colonies in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as walrus and seal breeding grounds. In addition to protecting natural habitats, the area helps preserve cultural heritage connected to the history of exploration and settlement of the Arctic territories beginning in the sixteenth century.

The Great Arctic State Nature Reserve is located on the counter-side of the Kara Sea.

History

The Russian government created the Franz Joseph Land Conservation Area on April 23, 1994. In the 2000s, plans began for a national park that would cover northern Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land. On June 15, 2009, the Russian Arctic National Park was established, but Franz Josef Land and Victoria Island were not included. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced the park's creation and said he hoped it would help grow tourism in the area. Putin visited the archipelago in 2010 and called it a "giant rubbish tip."

By 2011, the national park was expanded to include Franz Josef Land to better support tourism. In 2012, Russia started a 1.5 billion ruble, three-year clean-up project to remove more than 100,000 tonnes of waste left from the Soviet era. This waste included 250,000 oil barrels, 1 million old barrels, broken vehicles, radar systems, planes, and other items.

Wildlife

The park is known as one of the best protected places for marine mammals in the country. Bowhead and Gray whales are found in the area, showing how important the park is for the environment.