Article

Article name RUSSIAN DESMAN (DESMANA MOSCHATA: TALPIDAE) AT THE EDGE OF DISAPPEARANCE
Authors

Marina V. Rutovskaya, assistant professor, Dr. Sci., Senior Researcher of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of RAS; Russia, 123181, Moscow, Street marsh. Katukova, 21-1-117; e-mail: desmana@yandex.ru
Maria V. Onufrenya, Senior Researcher of the Oka State Nature Biosphere Reserve; Russia, 391072, Ryazan region, Spassk district, Lakash, Brykin Bor; e-mail: mvonufrenya@bk.ru
Alexander S. Onufrenya, Deputy Director of the Oka State Nature Biosphere Reserve; Russia, 391072, Ryazan region, Spassk district, Lakash, Brykin Bor; e-mail: mvonufrenya@bk.ru

Reference to article

Rutovskaya M.V., Onufrenya M.V., Onufrenya A.S. 2017. Russian desman (Desmana moschata: Talpidae) at the edge of disappearance. Nature Conservation Research 2(Suppl. 1): 100–112. https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2017.020

Section Research articles
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2017.020
Abstract

The population of the Russian desman in all historical areas is currently no more than 8000–10,000 individuals. The estimated population size of the Russian desman is based on direct surveys during 2010–2016. We observed over 266 km of the coastline in eight regions where the desman lives. Since the early 20th century the number of specimens has been steadily declining. In addition to the previously described factors that determine the reduction of the population size, such as land reclamation, the construction of hydroelectric stations and the flourishing of poaching at the end of the last century, the status of the Russian desman population is adversely affected by periodic droughts and the absence of floods. Currently Protected Areas remain as the only passive measure to protect the Russian desman in the absence of a programme to species protection nor state support.

Keywords

animals from the Red Data Book, conservation management, Russian desman

Artice information

Received: 30.03.2017

The full text of the article
References

Aidarov I.P. 2006. Essays on the history of irrigation development in the USSR and Russia. Moscow: MGUP Publishing House. 269 p. [In Russian]
Andreychev A.V., Kuznetsov V.A., Lapshin A.S., Grishutkin G.F. 2009. Preliminary materials about distribution of Russian desman (Desmana moschata L.) in the Republic of Mordovia. In: Rare animals of the Republic of Mordovia: materials for the Red Data Book of the Republic of Mordovia for 2009. Saransk: Publisher of Mordovia State University. P. 4−7. [In Russian]
Animal World. In: National Park «Buzuluksky Bor». 2008−2015. Available at: http://buzulukskiybor.ru/menu/o-nas/zhivotnyij-mir. Retrieved on 22 April, 2017.
Aspisov D.I. 1952. Desman. Moscow: Zagotizdat. 48 p. [In Russian]
Bakka S.V., Kiseleva N.Yu., Odrova L.N. 2015. Vertebrate animals of the Kerzhensky Reserve (annotated list). Proceedings of the State Nature Biosphere Reserve «Kerzhensky» 7: 6–59. [In Russian]
Barabash-Nikiforov I.I. 1950. Beaver and desman as the components of water-shore complex. Voronezh: Voronezh State University. 107 p. [In Russian]
Bayanov N.G. 2015. Fauna and Animal Population. In: Chronicle of Nature of the Kerzhensky State Reserve. Book 22. Nizny Novgorod, (Manuscript, SNBR «Kerzhensky»). Available at: https://www.kerzhenskiy.ru/upload/biblioteka/letopis/2015/8 Фауна и животное население_2015.pdf. [In Russian]
Borodin L.P. 1960. Instructions about survey and resettlement of desman. Saransk: Mordovia Book Publishing House. 18 p. [In Russian]
Borodin L.P. 1963. Russian desman. Saransk: Mordovia Book Publishing House. 301 p. [In Russian]
Borovitsky P.I. (ed.). 1951. A brief reference book for teachers about natural science. Leningrad: Uchpedgiz of the RSFSR. 674 p. [In Russian]
Cadastre Data. In: National park «Chavash Varmane». 2010–2017. Available at: http://npark21.ru/o-parke/kadastre/. Retrieved on 22 April, 2017.
Chichikina S. 1983. Desman in captivity. Hunting and hunting economy 2: 8−9. [In Russian]
Chronicle of Nature of the Reserve «Kaluga Zaseki» for 2002. Book 9. Ulyanovo, 2003. Available at: http://zaseki.ru/userfiles/files/letopis2002.pdf. [In Russian]
Fursaev A.D. 1940. Investigation of flora and vegetation of the Lower Volga valley. Doctoral thesis. Saratov: Saratov State University. 559 p. [In Russian]
History. In: Protected Areas of Russian Federation. Ministry of Natural Resources, 2011. Available from: http://www.zapoved.ru/main/history Retrieved on 22 April, 2017
Karpov N.A. 1992. The long keeping of desman in captivity In: First all-union conference on the biology of insectivorous mammals. Moscow. P. 78−79. [In Russian]
Kennerley R., Turvey S.T. 2016. Desmana moschata. In: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T6506A22321477. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T650.... Downloaded on 22 April 2017.
Khakhin G.V. 2009. Russian desman in danger: Dynamics of numbers and problem of protection. Moscow: Publishing House of the Biodiversity Conservation Center. 104 p. [In Russian]
Khakhin G.V. 2011. Russian Desman. In: Protected Areas of Russian Federation. Ministry of Natural Resources. Available from: http://www.zapoved.ru/species/272/%D0%A0%D1%83%D1%...
D1%85%D1%83%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C. Retrieved on 22 April, 2017.
Khakhin G.V., Ivanov A.A. 1990. Desman. Moscow: Agropromizdat. 191 p. [In Russian]
Kolpakov V.V., Sukharev I.P. 1981. Agricultural melioration. Moscow: Kolos. 328 p. [In Russian]
Krasovsky V.P. 1940. Materials on the ecology of the desman. In: Proceedings of the Khoper State Reserve 1: 3−66. [In Russian]
Krasovsky V.P. 1954. Observations on the reproduction of the desman in captivity. Zoologicheskii Zhurnal 33(1): 180−207. [In Russian]
Krivoshey V.A. 2015. The Volga River (problems and solutions). Moscow: «Zhurnal “RT"». 92 p. [In Russian]
Kulagin N.M. 1922. Russian fur trade. Petrograd: M. & S. Sabashnikov. 58 p. [In Russian]
Kuznetsov B.A. 1932. Commodity of fur and fur raw material of the USSR. Mocsow: Sovetskaya Asia. 464 p. [In Russian]
Makhotkina K.A., Zaripova N.R., Kabychnova A.E., Kosinsky A.A., Moreva Yu.O., Onufrenya A.S., Onufrenya M.V., Popov I.A., Rutovskaya M.V., Sergeev M.A. 2013. Contribution of informal public associations to the solution of scientific-practical problems of nature conservation (on example of the «Club of Russian Desman Friends»). In: Protected Areas and Objects of Vladimir region and adjacent regions. Vladimir. P. 175–177. [In Russian]
Mammals. In: Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve. 2014. Available at: http://astrakhanzapoved.ru/PRIVATE/fauna/#mleko. Retrieved on 22 April, 2017.
Okulova N.M., Onufrenya A.S., Onufrenya M.V. 2008. Analysis of monitoring data on the Russian desman (Desmana moschata ) in the Oka state biosphere reserve in relation to the problem of species' population decline. Russian Journal of Ecology 39 (7): 510−515.
Onufrenya A.S., Onufrenya M.V. 2012. Russian desman number and location in the Spassky and Shilovsky districts at Ryazan region in 2008-2009. In: Proceedings of the Oka Reserve. Ryazan 27: 100−113. [In Russian]
Onufrenya A.S., Onufrenya M.V. 2016. Russian desman in Oka basin. Proceedings of the Oka State Natural Biosphere Reserve 37: 1–204. [In Russian]
Onufrenya A.S., Vyshegorodsky N.V., Onufrenya M.V. 2006. Russian desman in NP «Orlovsky Polesye». In: Materials of inventory of water mammals inhabiting territory of the state national park «Orlovsky Polesye». Orel. P. 43−45. [In Russian]
Onufrenya A.S., Onufrenya M.V., Makhotkina K.A., Moreva Yu.O., Rutovskaya M.V. 2011. Current status of Russian desman population. In: Teriofauna of Russia and adjacent territories. Moscow. P. 347. [In Russian]
Oparina O.S., Filinova E.I., Sonina E.E., Oparin M.L. 2013 Current status of the Russian desman habitats in small rivers of the Don River Basin in Saratov oblast and the abundance of this species. Biology Bulletin 40(10): 854−861.
Paramonov A.A. 1928. About the biology of desman. In: Proceedings on study of Reserves 9: 5−34. [In Russian]
Pavlov M.V., Korsakova I.B., Timofeev V.V., Safonov V.G. 1973. Desman. In: Acclimatisation of the hunting and commercial animals and birds in the USSR. Part 1. Kirov: The Volga-Vyatka book publishing house. P. 9−47. [In Russian]
Pidoplichko I.G. 1951. On the glacial period. Vol. 2. Kiev: The Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. 263 p. [In Russian]
Rare species: the species' list of the national park included in the Red Data Book of the Udmurt Republic. In: National park «Nechkinsky». 2017. Available at: http://nechkinsky.ru/red.html. Retrieved on 22 April, 2017.
Red Data Book of Russian Federation (Animals). Moscow: Astrel, 2001. 860 p. [In Russian]
Red Data Book of the Chelyabinsk region. In: Ministry of Radiation and Ecological Safety of Chelyabinsk region. Available at: http://igz.ilmeny.ac.ru/RED_BOOK/m_jiv_mlek_naseko.... Retrieved on 29.03.2017. [In Russian]
Red Data Book of the USSR. Moscow: Lesnaya promyshlennost, 1978. 460 p. [In Russian]
Red Data Book. In: National park «Mariy Chodra». 2014. Available at: http://mariy-chodra.ru/nauka/krasnaja-kniga/. Retrieved on 22 April, 2017.
Red Data Book: data on rare and endangered species of animals and plants. In: National Park «Khvalynsky». 2009–2015. Available at: http://nphvalynskiy.ru/bioraznoobrazie/krasnaya-kn.... Retrieved on 22 April, 2017. [In Russian]
Romanov P.N. 1989. Desman in the Moscow Zoo. In: Problems of domestication of animals. Moscow: Nauka. P. 173−177. [In Russian]
Rutovskaya M.V., Rozhnov V.V. 2008. Experience in keeping and breeding Russian desman (Desmana moschata L.) in captivity. Scientific research in zoological parks 24: 77–102. [In Russian]
Rutovskaya M.V, Makhotkina K.A. 2015. I want leave to nature! Or why does Russian desman do not breed in captivity? Scientific research in zoological parks 31: 89−103. [In Russian]
Rutovskaya M.V., Onufrenya M.V., Onufrenya A.S. 2012. Role of floods at Russian desman life. In: Protected Areas and Objects of the Vladimir region and adjacent regions. Vladimir. P. 147−151. [In Russian]
Rutovskaya M.V., Vanisova E.A., Zaripova N.R., Kabychnova A.E., Kosinsky A.A., Makhotkina K.A., Moreva Yu.O., Onufrenya A.S., Onufrenya M.V., Popov I.A., Sergeev M.A. 2014. Current status of Russian desman population at territory of the historical range − results of research during last 5 years. In: Protected Areas and Objects of Vladimir region and adjacent regions. Vol. 3. Vladimir. P. 86–93. [In Russian]
Rzebik-Kowalska B. 2006. Erinaceomorpha and Soricomorpha (Mammalia) from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene of Krucza Skala Rock Shelter and Komarowa Cave (Poland). Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. Series A Vertebrata 49 (1): 83–118.
Samarskaya Luka. 2007–2017. Available at: http://www.npsamluka.ru/. Retrieved on 22 April, 2017.
Shaposhnikov L.V. 1933. Desman. Moscow; Leningrad: Vneshtorgizdat. 208 p. [In Russian]
Shaposhnikov L.V. 1938. Restoration of desman number. Journal of Hunting trade 1.
Sitnikova E.F. 2007. The results of desman reacclimatisation in the «Bryansky Les» Reserve. In: The study and protection of biological diversity of the Bryansk region 3: 115−120. [In Russian]
Skrebitsky G.A. 1945. Desman. Moscow: Moscow Zoo Print. 50 p. [In Russian]
Smirnov N.G., Ponomarev D.V. 2007. News about the Past Distribution of the Desman (Desmana moschata L.) Doklady Biological Sciences 414: 219–220.
Tselischeva L.G., Tarasova E.M., Lachokha E.P., Kondrukhova S.V., Shubin S.E. 2013. Rare species of «Nurgush» site of the «Nurgush» reserve. In: Proceedings of the State Nature Reserve «Nurgush» 2: 141−164. [In Russian]
Zemlyanukhin A.I. 2009. Russian desman in the Lipetsk region. Lipetsk: Publisher of the Lipetsk State Pedagogical University. 104 p. [In Russian]