On May 12, a souvenir sheet dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Caucasian State Nature Biosphere Reserve was put into postal circulation

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. It is located in the Western Caucasus within the boundaries of three constituent entities of the Russian Federation: the Krasnodar Territory, the Republic of Adygea and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic.

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 personnel of the Reserve is engaged in the preservation and study of the natural course of natural processes and phenomena, the genetic pool of relict and endemic representatives of fauna and flora, many of which are registered in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. 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.

The modern Reserve is the successor of the Grand-Ducal Kuban Hunt, established in 1888 on the initiative of Grand Dukes Peter Nikolayevich and Georgy Mikhailovich. On May 12 of 1924, the Caucasian Bison Reserve was established on the lands of the former hunting grounds. On February 19, 1979, UNESCO granted the status of a biosphere reserve to the Caucasus Reserve. 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 bison, which had been exterminated by 1927. As of 2020, its population is stable with at least 1,200 individuals. Since 2007, a project for the Persian leopard reintegration has been underway.

The postage stamp provides an image of a bison 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.

In addition to the issue of the postage stamps, JSC Marka produced a First Day Cover and special cancels for Moscow, Krasnodar, Maykop, Sochi of the Krasnodar Territory and Cherkessk, as well as an illustrated cover with a souvenir sheet, a label and First Day Covers with a cancel for Moscow inside.


Design Artist: A. Kradyshev.
Face value: 200 rubles.
Souvenir sheet size: 71×85 mm, stamp size in the souvenir sheet: 28×56 mm.
Quantity: 18 thousand souvenir sheets.

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