The Christopher Shaposhnikov Caucasian State Nature Biosphere Reserve is the oldest specially protected natural area in the North Caucasus. It is the largest mountain-forest reserve in Europe; its total area exceeds 280 thousand hectares.
Its territory is located on the border of temperate and subtropical climatic zones. The distinctive feature of the Reserve is the high concentration of relict and endemic species of flora and fauna on its territory.
The animal world of the Reserve is very diverse: there are over 70 species of mammals, 15 species of reptiles, 9 species of amphibians, 21 species of fish, more than 100 species of mollusca, and about 10,000 species of insects. The ornithofauna accounts for 213 species of birds.
In 1999, the territory of the Reserve was put on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the name of Western Caucasus. In January 2008, the Reserve was named after its founder, Christopher Shaposhnikov.
The Reserve successfully reintegrated into the wild the wisent, which had been exterminated by 1927. Since 2007, a project for the Persian leopard reintegration has been underway.
The postage stamp provides an image of a wisent as a symbol of the Caucasian State Nature Biosphere Reserve; the margins of the souvenir sheet feature neighborhoods of the Reserve, as well as the jubilee emblem.
| Paper |
Printing method |
Perforation |
Format of the stamp |
Format of the block |
Edition |
| Chalk surfaced |
Offset + figure cutting + security system |
Frame 12¼:11¾ |
26 × 58 mm |
71 × 87 mm |
18 thousand blocks |