Nature reserve

Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws.

Cultural practices that roughly equate to the establishment and maintenance of reserved areas for animals date back to antiquity, with King Devanampiya Tissa of Sri Lanka establishing Mihintale wildlife sanctuary, one of the world's earliest wildlife sanctuaries, in the 3rd-century-BC Anuradhapura Ancient Kingdom.

[1] Early reservations often had a religious underpinning, such as the 'evil forest' areas of West Africa which were forbidden to humans, who were threatened with spiritual attack if they went there.

[2] The world's first modern nature reserve was established in 1821 by the naturalist and explorer Charles Waterton around his estate in Walton Hall, West Yorkshire.

Waterton invented artificial nest boxes to house starlings, western jackdaws and sand martins; and unsuccessfully attempted to introduce little owls from Italy.

Their main objectives are preserving fauna and flora and other natural attributes, excluding direct human interference.

[10] Ecological stations are also allowed to change the environment within strictly defined limits (e.g. affecting no more than three percent of the area or 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres), whichever is less) for the purpose of scientific research.

This area is protected by legislation known as the Canada Wildlife Act, which is overseen by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.

As part of Canada's Ecological Gifts Program, these charities protect wilderness on privately owned lands.

The largest nature reserve in Egypt is Gebel Elba (35,600 square kilometres (13,700 sq mi)) in the southeast, on the Red Sea coast.

On 16 March 1959, the British established the Yob Wildlife Reserve in northern Eritrea specifically to protect significant populations of Nubian ibex in the area.

At the end of March 2004, there were 215 national nature reserves in England with a total area of 879 km2 (339 sq mi).

Examples include unique alpine plants at Upper Teesdale and the field of snake's head fritillaries at North Meadow, Cricklade, Wiltshire.

They range from windswept coastal headlands, ancient woodlands and flower-rich meadows to former inner-city railways, long-abandoned landfill sites and industrial areas now re-colonized by wildlife.

In total, they cover almost 40,000 ha (99,000 acres)—a natural resource which makes an important contribution to England's biodiversity.

A good example is Rye Harbour Nature Reserve in East Sussex, where a network of footpaths enables visitors to explore shingle, saltmarsh, saline lagoon, reedbed, and grazing marsh habitats.

[20] India's 18 biospheres extend over a total of 85,940 km2 (33,180 sq mi) and protect larger areas than typical national parks in other countries.

In total, they cover 6,400 km2 (2,500 sq mi) of nature reserves, approximately 28% of the country's land area.

The primary purpose was to create means to breed endangered species, specifically: the Arabian oryx, gazelles, ostriches, and Persian onagers in their natural environment.

By the end of 2009 there were 10 nature reserves (Kyrgyz: корук, koruk) in Kyrgyzstan covering 600,000 hectares (6,000 km2) or about three percent of the total area of the country.

Under these classifications, the Department of Conservation administers more than 80,000 square kilometres (31,000 sq mi)—nearly 30% of the nation's total area—with at least some degree of protection.

Some of these reserves include Ecological Islands, a comparatively new concept in wildlife preservation, pioneered in New Zealand to help rebuild the populations of nearly extinct birds, and other species that are heavily threatened by introduced predators.

For example, O Parks, WildLife, and Recreation, Or El Ostional Private Wildlife Reserve, was established within the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor by retired FDNY firefighter Kevin Michael Shea, who purchased 46 acres (0.19 km2) of land for the purpose of restoring the ecological system of a dry tropical forest, ravaged during the Nicaraguan Revolution.

[23] There are around 100 nature reserves (Russian: заповедник, romanized: zapovednik) in Russia, covering some 330,000 km2 (130,000 sq mi), or about 1.4% of the country's total area.

Unofficial sanctuaries can also occur as a result of human accidents; the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has in practice become a wildlife refuge since very few people live in the area.

The Prince Edward Islands, which are South African territories in the Southern Ocean, have been declared a special nature reserve.

According to stone inscriptions found in the vicinity, the king commanded the people not to harm animals or destroy trees within the area.