A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for purposes of conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. They may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park. Various jurisdictions may use other terminology, such as ecological protection area or private protected area in legislation and in official titles of the reserves.
The Thuringian Forest is a mountain range in the southern parts of the German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorge on its north-west side is the Werra valley. On the other side of the Forest is an upper outcrop of the North German Plain, the Thuringian Basin, which includes the city Erfurt. The south and south-east continuation of the range is the highland often called the Thuringian-Vogtlandian Slate Mountains.
Jiuzhaigou is a nature reserve and national park located in the north of Sichuan Province in southwestern China.The southern end is the Minshan Garna Peak, and the northern end is the Huanglong Scenic Area. It originates from the Baishui River area, one of the headwaters of the Jialing River and a part of the Yangtze River system. A long valley running north to south, Jiuzhaigou was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992 and a World Biosphere Reserve in 1997. It belongs to the category V in the IUCN system of protected area categorization.
The Slovincian National Park, also known as Słowiński National Park, is a national park in Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It is situated on the Baltic coast, between Łeba and Rowy. The northern boundary of the park consists of 32.5 kilometres (20.2 mi) of coastline.
Tatra National Park is a national park located in the Tatra Mountains in Tatra County, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in central-southern Poland. The park is headquartered in the town of Zakopane.
The Palatinate Forest, sometimes also called the Palatine Forest, is a low-mountain region in southwestern Germany, located in the Palatinate in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The forest is a designated nature park covering 1,771 km2 and its highest elevation is the Kalmit.
Golija is a mountain in southwestern Serbia, located between towns of Ivanjica and Novi Pazar. It is part of the Dinaric mountain range. The mountain is heavily forested with significant biodiversity. It contains the Golija-Studenica Biosphere Reserve, the first UNESCO-MAB registered biosphere reserve in Serbia. It is also a small ski resort, with several historical monuments and monasteries. The highest peak is Jankov Kamen at 1,833 metres (6,014 ft).
The Bavarian Rhön Nature Park straddles the junction of the German states of Bavaria, Hesse and Thuringia. 70 km2 of the total 125 km2 area of the nature park has been recognised by UNESCO as part of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve.
The organisation for the promotion of the Bavarian Rhön Nature Park was founded in 1967. On 26 November 1982 the regulation for the Naturpark Bayerische Rhön was issued and, in 1997, the Zweckverband became the Society for the Bavarian Rhön Nature Park and Biosphere Reserve.
The Rhön Biosphere Reserve includes the entire central area of the Rhön Mountains, a low mountain range in the German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia.
The Elbhöhen-Wendland Nature Park, formerly known as the Elbufer-Drawehn Nature Park is a German nature park east of Lüneburg in Lower Saxony.
The Hohe Schrecke is a ridge of hills in central Germany. It lies mainly within Thuringia; however, the southeastern part around Lossa belongs to the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
The Arnsberg Forest Nature Park is a nature park in the districts of Hochsauerlandkreis and Soest within the administrative region of Arnsberg in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The park was established in 1960 and covers an area of 482 km2. Nearly 350 km2 of the protection is forested and the park's wooded hills rise up to 581.5 m above sea level (NN).
Agasthyavanam Biological Park is a protected area in the Western Ghats in Kerala State, India. The park is located within Vazhichal Panchiyat and lies between the Neyyar and Peppara Wildlife Sanctuaries which covers an area of about 31 square kilometres (12 sq mi).
The Harz/Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park is situated n the districts of Harz and Mansfeld-Südharz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The nature park which lies in the Harz Mountains was founded in 2003 and has an area of around 1,660 km2. It is looked after by the Harz Regional Association.
The Teutoburg Forest / Egge Hills Nature Park is a nature park founded in 1965 in the northeast of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. After being expanded in 2008, the nature park is now the largest in Germany, covering an area of 2,700 square kilometres (1,000 sq mi). The park comprise the southern Teutoburg Forest and Egge Hills.
The South Harz Nature Park is located in the county of Nordhausen in north Thuringia, Germany. The act designating this nature park in the Harz Mountains came into force on 31 December 2010 and thus founded the fifth nature park in Thuringia. It has an area of 267 km². The park is managed by the South Harz Tourist Association in conjunction with the Kyffhäuser Nature Park.
The Hessian Rhön Nature Park lies east of Fulda in East Hesse on the border with Thuringia and Bavaria and has and area of 720,7 km2. Together with the Bavarian Rhön Nature Park it is part of the cross-border Rhön Biosphere Reserve.
Bogd Khan Uul Biosphere Reserve is a nature reserve situated to the south of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. It is in the southern part of the forest steppe zone and is in the Khentii Mountains area. It includes Bogd Khan Mountain, and was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1996. It claims to be the oldest National Park in the world.
The Bryansk Forest Nature Reserve, also known as Bryansky Les, is a nature reserve in Bryansk Oblast, Russia, along the Nerussa River near the Russian border with Ukraine.
The Vessertal-Thüringen Forest forms a central part of the much larger Thuringian Forest.
