Nature, ecology, environmental protection

• 58% of the territory of Lepel District is covered by forests. The district has 131 lakes and 27 small rivers. The largest lakes are Lake Lepel (area 10.18 sq. km.), Lake Okono, Lake Bereshcha, Lake Voron, Lake Bobritsa, and Lake Teklets. Lake Kakisino is a local nature reserve.
• On the territory of Lepel district, 9 rare biotopes and 5 landscapes, 16 sites of wild plant growth and 2 habitats of wild animals belonging to species included in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus have been identified and transferred to the protection of land users.
• Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, with its center in the village of Domzheritsy.
• The main adornment in the treasury of nature of the Lepel region is the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. Today, the reserve is the largest scientific and educational institution of global significance. The ecosystems of its swamps and black alder forests are unparalleled not only in Belarus but also across the entire European continent.
• Annually, tourists from Belarus, as well as from near and far abroad countries, visit the reserve. For their convenience, there is the comfortable hotel complex "Domzheritsy", hotel cottages on the lakes Plavno, Domzheritskoye and Olshitsa, and the hunting lodge "Nivki". For observation, water, walking, and car routes are used, along with observation posts, blinds, shelters, and towers equipped for wildlife photography. Tourists have the opportunity to learn about the daily life and traditions of the local population, as well as national cuisine and crafts.
• The "Tsar Oak" nature monument of republican significance, growing in the village of Tadulino, is also under state protection.
• The long-term protection regime of the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve has determined the richness of its flora and fauna. Having developed for millennia in a natural environment, its animal and plant world is a true benchmark of European nature.
• To date, the total number of biological species inhabiting the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve exceeds 6000. And this is far from a complete list.

Berezina Water System

• The main historical attraction of the reserve is the Berezina Water System, built in 1797-1805 on the site of the ancient route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The construction of the system allowed for through water communication between the rivers of the Black Sea and Baltic Sea basins. The Berezina Water System began with the Serguch Canal – 490 km from the mouth of the Berezina River and ended at the mouth of the Ulla River, 519 km from the mouth of the Western Dvina. The length of the water route between these routes is 169 km.
• The creation of the Berezina Water System was a tremendous undertaking for its time. Construction was carried out in difficult conditions, amidst forests and swamps, using primitive tools – shovels, axes, and wheelbarrows.
• The commissioning of the system significantly resolved the economic problems of the region, leading to the emergence of new settlements along the route from Berezina to the Western Dvina, and expanding trade links with the Baltic states, as well as Russian and Ukrainian provinces.
• Currently, the once-bustling waterway has completely lost its timber-rafting and transport significance. The canals have become shallow and silted up, with islands overgrown with willow and black alder forming in the middle of the channels in places. The wooden hydraulic structures have been destroyed, with only the stone slopes of the lock chambers and dams remaining as a reminder. Now, it is the domain of beavers, otters, ducks, and thousands of other representatives of the reserve's flora and fauna. Projects for the restoration of the Berezina Water System are currently under consideration.
• Natural Resources of Lepel District
• Water resources. There are 136 lakes and 27 small rivers on the territory of the district.
• There are significant explored reserves of underground water.
• The hydroelectric power station on the Lepel Reservoir has been restored and is operational.
• The abundance of water resources, particularly lakes, creates favourable conditions for the development of industrial fishing, water and ecological tourism, as well as recreation.
• In 2020, the boundaries of water protection zones and coastal strips of water bodies within the district were changed.

Mineral and raw material resources

Atmospheric air